A measles outbreak in North London “could get worse before it gets better”, London GPs have warned.
More than 50 confirmed cases of the potentially fatal illness have been reported across Enfield, which has one of the lowest uptakes of the MMR vaccine in the country.
There had been 16 new cases in Enfield in the past week. Ten more cases of the highly infectious disease have been confirmed in the neighbouring borough of Haringey, with the total number of cases in the capital standing at 88.
Dr Lucy Hooper, GP at Coyne Medical in Hammersmith and Fulham, warned: “It could get worse before it gets better
“Once you have measles in a community with low vaccination rates, more outbreaks are very likely.”
Dr Naveed Asif, GP at The London General Practice, added: “This outbreak in North London serves as a warning that similar situations could arise in other areas. Low vaccination rates are not confined to London - they are observed nationwide, particularly in urban, highly mobile environments where community transmission can occur more rapidly.”
One case of the measles has the potential to generate up to 18 secondary infections.
In Enfield, the proportion of children fully vaccinated by age 5 has dropped to 65.8% - 18.2% lower than the national average of 84% and significantly lower than the NHS target of 95%.
In Dr Hooper’s own borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, rates of MMR vaccination are 58.7%.
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“It could have been anywhere with a low uptake of the vaccine. It’s Enfield now, but it could be anywhere else in London very easily,” she said.
One in five children with the virus in Enfield have been hospitalised - testament to how dangerous the disease can be.
Families in Enfield told The Standard, they were “scared” about the outbreak which has gripped the borough, though not all parents were pro-vaccination.
One parent, a mother to three children in Ponders End, said: “Of course I’m scared - even though my kids are all vaccinated. I thought it was compulsory and to be honest I am surprised it’s not.”
But another parent of five children claimed a vaccination prevented her nine-year-old son from ‘sleeping, eating, and talking’ until he was five.
Nat Will said: “I know my rights. I worry about real things in front of me. I grew up in the eighties when everything was dirty and hardly any children were vaccinated, and we are all doing fine.”
Prior to the vaccine roll-out in 1968, it is estimated that there were 100 fatalities a year caused by measles.
Dr Asif said many anti-vax claims “can largely be traced to the proliferation of misinformation spread through social media.”
Side effects from the Covid-19 vaccine have also damaged trust in the pharmaceuticals industry and in government advice, explained Dr Hooper. But the MMR vaccine has been extensively tested and proven to be safe and effective, she said.
She added: “I always think the ‘anti-vax’ label is not helpful. These are parents who have genuine concern for their child, despite research today showing how safe the MMR vaccine is.”
Experts have suggested that anti-vaxxers are not the only barrier to immunisation.
“There are lots of reasons why children are missing vaccines. Aside from families who make a conscious decision, often there are circumstances where the appointment has just been missed.
“In a city as busy as London, it is easy to see how scheduling vaccines might not be a priority for some families,” said Dr Hooper.
Suggestions such as health visitors administering vaccines at home and offering jabs at school have all been proposed as means to increase uptake.
Language has also proven to be one of the barriers to immunisation where letters and correspondence are often sent in English rather than in the native language of families.
The result is often that appointments go missed.
Dr Asif explained cultural factors can also play a role in vaccine resistance “particularly in Enfield’s diverse community.”
Data has shown that populations with a high proportion of ethnic minorities are far more likely to refuse vaccination.
Research by SAGE in 2021 on the Covid-19 vaccine said that only 69 per cent of adults from black and minority ethnic backgrounds were likely to have the vaccine and more than half of those adults were concerned about the side effects.
In comparison, 85 per cent of adults from white ethnic groups were likely to have the Covid-19 vaccine.
However, Dr Hooper said while “it would be a misapprehension to say non-Brits are anti-vaccine”, more efforts should go into outreach to find out why people are refusing vaccination and how to increase access.
Enfield Councillor Abdul Abdullahi made a video in Somali, urging people to seek out vaccines.
Labour MP for Edmonton and Winchmore Hill Kate Osamor has called on people in Enfield to get vaccinated if they are not already.
The borough has set up several pop-up clinics to administer jabs to those who are not yet immunised.
