London’s measles hotspots have been revealed, as new figures show that nearly half of all cases in England so far this year were recorded in the capital.
Figures published by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show that five of the ten boroughs with the highest number of confirmed measles cases are in London.
Lambeth has the second highest caseload as of September 23, with 178 infections reported.
It is followed by Wandsworth, with 146 confirmed cases.
Harrow, Croydon and Brent also feature in the top ten with 100, 96 and 71 cases recorded respectively.
However, measles cases in London have fallen in recent weeks following a peak in July.
The latest figures show that 22 cases were recorded in the week up to August 19, down by nearly two-thirds on the 66 reported in the week up to July 8.
Since January, there have been 2,465 confirmed measles cases reported in England.
Nearly half (48.1 per cent) of those cases were recorded in London, while 21.7 per cent of infections were reported in the West Midlands.
Measles is an infection that spreads very easily and can cause serious health problems, including meningitis and pneumonia. It usually starts with cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash a few days later.
In July 2023, the UKHSA warned that low vaccination rates in London could lead to an outbreak of up to 160,000 cases.
The MMR vaccine is given to children to protect against measles, mumps and rubella as part of the NHS routine vaccination schedule. Children receive their first dose aged 1, and their second dose aged 3 years and 4 months
Earlier this month, the Standard reported how more than a quarter of young children in London are unvaccinated against measles.
Data published by the NHS shows that 26.7 per cent five-year-olds in the capital have not received two doses of the MMR vaccine in 2023/24, the lowest uptake of any region in England.
In January, NHS England launched a vaccination campaign in London allowing children to book an MMR jab through pop-up clinics at schools.
Health experts on Friday launched a new campaign to boost uptake in the UK amid rising cases of whooping cough and measles.
The Vaccine Knowledge Project was formed by leading paediatrician and vaccine scientist Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, who is also director of the Oxford Vaccine Group.
It aims to educate and inform the public about how vaccines protect not only individuals but entire communities.
Charlie Firth, vaccine knowledge and public engagement manager at the Oxford Vaccine Group, said: “We have recently seen drops in vaccination levels for various diseases.
“Whether that be drops in whooping cough vaccines in pregnant people leading to deaths in babies or an increase in cases ofmeasles.
“There has been a range of reasons for this drop in vaccination, ranging from vaccine hesitancy, inequities in access to services, and complacency.
“Many of the diseases we are trying to protect against have not been seen in a long time, and so the perception within the general public of the importance of vaccination seems to have dropped.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says to achieve herd immunity, at least 95 per cent of children should receive their set of vaccine doses for each illness.
