Overview

• England has recorded 742 laboratory-confirmed measles cases so far in 2025, following 2,911 in 2024, the highest annual total since 2012.
• UKHSA warns measles has an R number near 15, making it far more contagious than the common cold, COVID-19 or influenza.
• Seventy percent of this year’s cases are in children aged 10 and under, with clusters concentrated in London and the North West.
• Local data show Hackney with 94 cases, Bristol 47 and Salford 39, and officials urge anyone missing doses to contact their GP for a free MMR vaccination.
• Recent figures indicate only 83.7% of children in England have received two MMR doses by age five, Liverpool’s rate is about 75.5%, and local media reported a child death in July linked to measles.