Measles outbreak in West Midlands could spread to other areas warns UKHSA

Introduction

The UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) Chief Executive, Professor Dame Jenny Harries, is warning that further measles outbreaks will spread to other towns and cities unless urgent action is taken to increase MMR vaccination uptake in high-risk areas. As of 18 January, there have been 216 confirmed and 103 probable measles cases in the West Midlands since 1 October 2023. Dame Jenny visited Birmingham to see the response efforts first-hand and encourage communities to get vaccinated.

Table of Contents

Current outbreak in West Midlands

As of 18 January, there have been 216 confirmed cases and 103 probable cases of measles in the West Midlands since 1 October 2023. Around 80% of cases have been seen in Birmingham, with about 10% in Coventry, mostly affecting children under 10 years old.

Risk of spread to other areas

Dame Jenny has expressed concern that unless urgent action is taken, the measles virus is likely to spread rapidly in other areas with low MMR vaccine uptake following a July 2023 UKHSA risk assessment.

Visit to Birmingham

While in Birmingham, Dame Jenny visited Birmingham Heartlands Hospital and met with local health professionals coordinating the response, including UKHSA epidemiologists and consultants, NHS leaders, and local councils across the West Midlands. Learning from the response will help other areas prepare.

Declaration of National Incident

The UKHSA has declared a national incident to signal the growing public health risk and enable focused work to limit further outbreak spread and protect other high-risk areas.

Quotes from Dame Jenny Harries

Dame Jenny stated that local areas need to commit to turning around falling MMR uptake rates. Children can get very sick from measles and some will suffer complications. The best protection is the MMR vaccine. Immediate action is needed to boost uptake in communities where it is low.

MMR vaccine information

MMR is part of the routine childhood immunization schedule with doses at 1 year and 3 years 4 months of age. Anyone who missed doses or is unvaccinated can get the MMR vaccine. Two doses provide lifelong protection against measles, mumps, and rubella. Measles spreads easily among unvaccinated people, especially children. It can cause serious illness and death in rare cases.

Supporting vaccination programmes

UKHSA is committed to supporting national vaccination programs like MMR, which is one of its top priorities. It evaluates coverage and effectiveness to inform future programs.