London may be on the brink of a measles outbreak health officials have warned, as more unvaccinated children are being infected by the highly contagious viral illness.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) previously reported 34 confirmed measles among children under the age of 10, who attend school and nurseries in Enfield.
Since the start of the year, there have been 96 confirmed cases of measles in England, the majority of which affecting children under 10.
Some of these children were hospitalised by the virus, which can cause serious and even fatal health complications if it spreads to the brain.
More than 1,000 measles cases were recorded in the UK last year, while infections across Europe have reached record highs.
In 2024, the UK saw its worst measles outbreak on record, with 3,681 confirmed cases. In July, a child died after contracting the virus.
As a result, the UK officially lost its measles elimination status in January, as announced by the World Health Organisation - a move that was largely expected.
Measles, which mostly produces flu-like symptoms and the tell-tale rash, can cause very serious and even fatal health complications if it spreads to the lungs or the brain.
More than 60 suspected cases of measles are said to have been reported by seven schools and a nursery in Enfield.
While many people recover, measles is highly infectious and spreads very easily among people who are not fully vaccinated against the disease.
Just half of children in some parts of London have had both measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jabs, but vaccination uptake has been slipping for years.
Dr Vanessa Saliba, a consultant epidemiologist at the UKHSA, said: 'Our latest data shows we are now seeing a big measles outbreak in north-east London, mostly affecting unvaccinated children under 10 in school and nurseries, with some being hospitalised.
'Measles is a nasty illness for any child but for some it can lead to long-term complications and, tragically, death, but it is so easily preventable with two doses of the MMRV vaccine.'
The MMR vaccine was updated last year to include chickenpox, varicella, to the jab.
But the life-threatening virus does not just affect children - babies, pregnant women and those with a weakened immune system are also at risk.
Health chiefs are now urging parents to make sure their children have not missed any doses, with experts warning that at least 95 per cent of the population needs to be vaccinated to prevent outbreaks.
'With Easter holidays fast approach, it is a timely reminder to families travelling overseas to ensure all family members, especially children are vaccinated, as measles is widespread in some countries with close links to the UK and there are ongoing outbreaks in parts of Europe.'
The UK was granted measles elimination status - meaning there is no continuous transmission of the disease - in 2017, but lost it before regaining it in 2021 after Covid- restrictions halted the spread of the infection.
However, measles began circulating again in late 2023, triggering the latest outbreak, with only around 84 per cent of children receiving both doses by the age of five.
In the UK, London and Birmingham have seen the highest number of cases, with vaccination rates averaging 64 per cent of five-year-olds in Enfield in 2024-25.
According to figures reported by The Sunday Times, more than 60 suspected cases of measles had been reported by seven schools and nurseries in the borough.
Cold-like symptoms - including fever, cough, and a runny or blocked nose - are often the first signs. A few days later, some people develop small white spots inside the mouth, before the distinctive rash appears.
The council's cabinet member for health and social care warned: 'Measles is on the most infectious known-diseases.
'It is approximately six times more infectious than Covid-19. Catching measles is entirely preventable, but it spreads extremely quickly where vaccination levels are low.'
She added: 'By checking your family's vaccination status and taking up the free NHS vaccine, you are protecting not only yourselves but also vulnerable members of our community.'
Enfield's director of public health, Dudu Sher-Arami, is also writing to parents in the area to try and control the spread of disease. Temporary vaccination centers have also been opened in a bid to boost herd immunity.
The NHS continues to urge families to come forward for their vaccines, and is now offering the second dose earlier - bringing it forward to an 18-month appointment.
But experts warned an outbreak, resulting in the UK losing its vaccination status, was the inevitable consequence of a drop in vaccination rates.
Professor Devi Sridhar, Personal Chair of Global Public Health, said: 'It's tragic to hear of children being hospitalised, but unfortunately it isn't surprising.
'We've seen outbreaks over the past couple of years and as far back as 2023, the UKHSA was warning that vaccination rates were so low that around a quarter of children starting school in London were unvaccinated.'
She continued: 'A major factor is logistical challenges for parents. Many children were born during the Covid period, when routine vaccination programmes were disrupted.
'Even now, where rates have improved, that often been due to practical measures such as mobile vaccination clinics and giving parents more flexibility to attend appointments.
'It's less about parents actively refusing vaccines and more about the realities of work, childcare, and everyday pressures.'
Professor Andrew Neal, the Personal Chair of International Security, added that previous plans to increase spending were right, but rolled out too slowly.
He said: 'Defense spending takes time to plan and implement properly.
'It's needed now to address equipment shortages, overdue upgrades, and diminished stockpiles, not to mention its necessary deterrent effect against potential adversaries.
'The plan in the 2025 Strategic Defense Review was the right one, and the Government does not have time to waste in implementing it.'
Measles spreads through airborne particles, through coughs and sneezes, and touching contaminated surfaces - which is partly why so many school children are affected.
The tell-tale rash will usually appear a few days later, starting on the face before spreading to the rest of the body.
One in five infected children will be hospitalised, with around one in fifteen developing severe complications such as meningitis or sepsis.
The MMR vaccine has been offered to children in the UK since the late 1980s.
But uptake collapsed in the late 1990s and early 2000s after a now-discredited 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield falsely linked the jab to autism.
The claim triggered widespread fear, leading tens of thousands of parents to refuse the vaccine.