25th February, 2024
Measles infections have reportedly spread to nearly all areas of London with GPs diagnosing almost 1,000 cases in England and Wales in the first few weeks of the year.
In 2017, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared that the UK had eliminated measles due to high coverage of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR vaccine).
However, it is said to be back fully with vaccine coverage at its lowest level in a decade.
“As of the week ending February 4, doctors have identified 959 suspected infections in England and Wales this year, including 335 in the last week, MyLondon reports.
“That includes 123 suspected cases in London, 42 of which were diagnosed last week. It is easily the highest number of suspected measles cases seen in the first five weeks of a year in over a decade. During the same period of 2023, just 67 suspected cases had been spotted. By this time in 2022, there had been 45 infections.
“In London, there have been cases in every council area with the exception of Waltham Forest. So far Brent has seen the most infections with 17. That is more than in Harrow (eight) and Ealing (eight) combined, the two council areas of London with the next highest number of cases,” the magazine reports.