London at risk of major measles outbreak, UK Health Security Agency warns

X-ray of a child with measles pneumonia, which can follow measles infection. Photograph: BSIP/Universal Images Group/Getty Images

London is at risk of a major measles outbreak that could result in tens of thousands of cases, the UK Health Security Agency has warned.

Without an improvement in MMR vaccination rates, the capital could experience an outbreak of between 40,000 and 160,0000 cases, fresh analysis by the UKHSA suggests. Experts said an outbreak of this scale could lead to dozens of deaths and thousands of people hospitalised.