Tracking Emerging Public Health Challenges – January 22, 2026 – Measles
The move was based on the spread of cases in 2024 when there were 3,600 suspected cases.
Elimination status means there is no sustained transmission so this decision was largely expected, given the scale of the outbreaks in 2024.
There were more than 1,000 cases last year as well. The move is also a reflection of the fact vaccination rates are below the 95% threshold required to achieve herd immunity – when enough people in a community are vaccinated against a disease, making it hard for the pathogen to spread.
The UK was first declared measles-free in 2017, but lost the status two years later, before regaining it after spread of the virus was almost halted completely in 2021 – although that was mainly because social distancing during the pandemic.
Outbreaks in late 2023 meant measles started spreading more quickly again, leading to the surge in cases in 2024.
Vaccination uptake at the end of 2024 was 92% for the first dose and just below 85% for the second dose.
Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “Infections can return quickly when childhood vaccine uptake falls – measles elimination is only possible if all eligible children receive two MMRV doses before school.” (1)
“The World Health Organization (WHO) announced today (26 January 2026) that the UK has lost its measles elimination status.
The decision is based on data showing 2,911 laboratory confirmed measles cases in England in 2024, the highest number of cases recorded annually since 2012. There were almost 1,000 confirmed cases last year.
Dr Ben Kasstan-Dabush, Assistant Professor of Global Health & Development at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), said:
“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. Sustained measles transmission reflects a decade-long decline in routine vaccination coverage and the persistent failure in the UK to reach the 95% measles vaccine coverage threshold recommended by WHO. Profoundly low coverage in areas such as Hackney underscores the unequal distribution of risk and harm to children.
“There is no quick fix for declining vaccination coverage, particularly as the UK government advances policies that simultaneously offer opportunities and create new challenges. Welfare reforms proposed by the current Labour government should be leveraged to reverse this trend and support recovery in vaccination coverage, especially in areas of high deprivation and low uptake. Investment in Best Start hubs and health visiting could strengthen integration across early years services and provide valuable touchpoints to discuss and deliver vaccinations.
“However, the burden of responsibility for childhood immunisation ultimately rests with primary care, which will require sustained support and secure funding to tailor outreach and engage undervaccinated communities. Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), which plan and fund NHS services at area levels, are expected to reduce operational costs by up to 50% and this risks undermining efforts to strengthen vaccine coverage. If we are to regain our measles elimination status then we must have a coherent, joined-up approach to public health, sadly the opposite to what we are currently seeing across England.”” (2)
1.Warning over measles as disease ‘re-established’ in UK, by Ella Pickover, https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/health-and-families/measles-rash-symptoms-vaccine-mmrv-b2907810.html
2.Rapid Reaction: UK loses measles elimination status, by Ben Kasstan-Dabush, https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2026/rapid-reaction-uk-loses-measles-elimination-status
curated by Jonathan M. Metsch, Dr.P.H.
Clinical Professor of Environmental Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai