The U.K. has officially lost its measles elimination status, meaning the highly infectious disease has been circulating continuously in the region for at least a year.
Within the past decade, the U.K. has gained, lost and regained its measles elimination status, according to an update posted Jan. 26 by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). It eliminated the disease in 2016 but saw a resurgence in 2018, along with the rest of Europe. It then regained its elimination status in 2021, when precautions taken to stop the spread of COVID-19 also drove down measles rates.
