‘This is urgent’: the UK is scrambling to stem an alarming tide of measles

Officials fear a growing outbreak in the West Midlands could spread to other towns and cities unless urgent action is taken to boost vaccination uptake. Photograph: Ed Maynard/Getty Images

In September 2017, Britain was basking in the glory of a public health success story. No indigenous cases of measles had been recorded for three years. Decades after a sham study threatened to permanently undermine trust in the MMR jab, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, the World Health Organization declared the disease had been eliminated for the first time in the UK.

Dr Mary Ramsay, then head of immunisation at Public Health England (PHE), expressed delight. “This is a huge achievement and a testament to all the hard work by our health professionals in the NHS to ensure that all children and adults are fully protected with two doses of the MMR vaccine.”