Overview

• The agency posted the warning on X on Friday, highlighting that a blotchy, sometimes raised, usually non-itchy rash can indicate measles.
• England recorded 2,911 lab-confirmed cases in 2024, with a further 742 cases by August 2025 and one child death reported this year.
• UKHSA links the rise to declining childhood vaccination, with coverage below the WHO 95% target and London at 73.3% over five years versus an 83.9% England average.
• Europe reported about 127,350 cases in 2024, the highest since 1997, with outbreaks in France, Italy, Spain and Germany, and WHO citing high burdens in Romania, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Indonesia and Nigeria.
• People are urged to check two-dose MMR status, especially before travel, and to seek prompt advice from a GP or NHS 111 if fever, cough, sore watery eyes and the characteristic rash develop.