Jan 27, 2026 03:27 AM
https://news.sky.com/story/uk-loses-meas...o-13499336
EXCERPTS: The UK has lost its measles elimination status from the World Health Organisation (WHO) after vaccination coverage plateaued and cases surged. From 2021 to 2023, the country was considered to have "eliminated" the disease, but global health officials say measles transmission was re-established in the UK in 2024.
Vaccination coverage has flatlined in recent years, with recorded measles infections in the UK soaring to 3,681 in 2024. Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan also lost their status, and the WHO urged countries to boost vaccination rates to prevent the disease infecting more children.
"It is unsurprising the UK has lost its WHO measles elimination status, following nationwide outbreaks since 2024 and the preventable death of a child in 2025," said Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush, assistant professor of global health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
[...] A WHO spokesperson said the UK's change of status "reflects a broader challenge" that the organisation is facing across Europe. "Outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases are threats to health security in Europe," they added.
Dr Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer in public health medicine at the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "It's extremely concerning that in the UK we now have pockets of low or no vaccine uptake."
He warned that "we urgently need to remedy this situation"... (MORE - details)
EXCERPTS: The UK has lost its measles elimination status from the World Health Organisation (WHO) after vaccination coverage plateaued and cases surged. From 2021 to 2023, the country was considered to have "eliminated" the disease, but global health officials say measles transmission was re-established in the UK in 2024.
Vaccination coverage has flatlined in recent years, with recorded measles infections in the UK soaring to 3,681 in 2024. Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan also lost their status, and the WHO urged countries to boost vaccination rates to prevent the disease infecting more children.
"It is unsurprising the UK has lost its WHO measles elimination status, following nationwide outbreaks since 2024 and the preventable death of a child in 2025," said Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush, assistant professor of global health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
[...] A WHO spokesperson said the UK's change of status "reflects a broader challenge" that the organisation is facing across Europe. "Outbreaks of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases are threats to health security in Europe," they added.
Dr Bharat Pankhania, senior clinical lecturer in public health medicine at the University of Exeter Medical School, said: "It's extremely concerning that in the UK we now have pockets of low or no vaccine uptake."
He warned that "we urgently need to remedy this situation"... (MORE - details)
