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Measles has been spreading continuously in the U.K. for over a year, meaning the country has lost its elimination status.
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Measles has been reestablished in the U.K. after the country had eliminated the disease for several years.
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The U.K. has officially lost its measles elimination status, meaning the highly infectious disease has been circulating continuously in the region for at least a year.
Within the past decade, the U.K. has gained, lost and regained its measles elimination status, according to an update posted Jan. 26 by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). It eliminated the disease in 2016 but saw a resurgence in 2018, along with the rest of Europe. It then regained its elimination status in 2021, when precautions taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 also drove down measles rates.
But in the years since, measles rates have rebounded again in the country — and based on data from 2024 that was submitted to the World Health Organization (WHO), the infection is now officially reestablished in the U.K.
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Ben Kasstan-Dabush, an assistant professor of global health and development at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, called the news "unsurprising."
"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," Kasstan-Dabush said in a statement. "Profoundly low coverage in areas such as Hackney [in East London] underscores the unequal distribution of risk and harm to children."
Because measles is so contagious, most of a population must have immunity — either through vaccination or prior infection — to stop the disease from spreading. Measles vaccines are given in a two-dose series, which, once completed, is about 97% effective at preventing measles. To reach herd immunity via vaccination, 95% of a population must have received two doses of the vaccine, the WHO states.
In the U.K., vaccines are not mandatory, but measles vaccination is recommended as part of the National Health Service's national immunization program. Young children were previously offered the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, with the first dose at age 1 and the second at age 3. As of 2026, young children are recommended the MMRV vaccine, which additionally protects against chickenpox (varicella), and are offered doses at 12 and 18 months old. The MMR vaccine is still given to kids born before 2019, as well as adults who have not yet completed their two-dose series.
Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter nowContact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.In 2024, the U.K. reported 92.3% coverage with the first MMR dose and 84.4% with the second, which roughly matched the coverage levels reported in 2023. In recent years, 2016 saw the highest coverage levels, with 95.3% for the first dose and 88.2% for the second. Coverage has fallen steadily since then.
"As history teaches us, elimination can only be achieved and sustained by improving coverage of the MMRV vaccine in children to meet the WHO 95% target and by using all opportunities to catch up older children and adults who missed out when they were younger," the UKHSA statement says.
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According to the 2024 data, additional countries within the WHO European Region have lost their measles elimination status, including Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.
Meanwhile, Canada lost its measles elimination status in November 2025, and the U.S. is poised to lose its status any day now. In the United States, health officials are currently investigating whether various outbreaks unfolding across the country are linked. If they can confirm that the same outbreak strain has been spreading for a year, the country's measles elimination status will be lost.
Experts have pointed to prominent anti-vaccine advocates, such as Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., as contributing to the U.S.' falling vaccine coverage and skyrocketing measles rates. But in mid-January, the principal deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention dismissed the issue, saying he wouldn't consider America losing its status to be a significant event.
DisclaimerThis article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to offer medical advice.
TOPICS vaccines
Nicoletta LaneseSocial Links NavigationChannel Editor, HealthNicoletta Lanese is the health channel editor at Live Science and was previously a news editor and staff writer at the site. She holds a graduate certificate in science communication from UC Santa Cruz and degrees in neuroscience and dance from the University of Florida. Her work has appeared in The Scientist, Science News, the Mercury News, Mongabay and Stanford Medicine Magazine, among other outlets. Based in NYC, she also remains heavily involved in dance and performs in local choreographers' work.
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