Enfield Measles Outbreak – Is it insensitive to want border control for Scotland when ‘UK’ and Spain lose WHO status as being measles-free after rise in deaths and fall in jab uptake?

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From BBC Breakfast above and BBC London yesterday:

At least 34 children have been infected by a “fast-spreading” measles outbreak in several north London schools, health officials have said. The cases from Enfield were confirmed in laboratory tests in January, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reported. A local GP surgery said one in five children who contracted the illness had been admitted to hospital, all of whom “had not been fully immunised”.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cev7edxxzm7o

Travel between London and Scotland is easy.

There have also been serious outbreaks with some deaths of children, in the USA, Canada, Australia and Romania, all with regular flights into Scotland.

As with the UK, France and Spain have lost WHO measles-free status. I don’t need to remind you how much travel there is between Scotland and Spain.

Only Scotland and Wales meet WHO target for measles protection

From Childhood immunisation statistics Scotland Quarter ending 30 September 2025, yesterday:

The first dose of Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is offered between 12 and 13 months old and the second dose at 3 years 4 months old. 92.5% of children had the first dose of MMR vaccine by 24 months of age. This rose to 95.9% for children who had reached age 5. Uptake of the second dose of MMR vaccine by 5 years was 90.6%, rising to 90.9% by age 6 years.

https://www.publichealthscotland.scot/publications/childhood-immunisation-statistics-scotland/childhood-immunisation-statistics-scotland-quarter-ending-30-september-2025/

From Vaccine update: issue 365, November 2025 published on 26 November 2025:

At age 5, overall UK coverage for the 6 in 1 edged up to 93.2%, but the pre school booster (dTaP/IPV) fell sharply by 1.2%, and MMR2 dropped slightly. Scotland and Wales exceeded the WHO’s 95% target for the 6 in 1 and MMR1, while Northern Ireland achieved strong results just below that threshold. In England, coverage varied by region, with London consistently reporting the lowest rates.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/vaccine-update-issue-365-november-2025/vaccine-update-issue-365-november-2025

Why the need for a border?


More than 80% of 2025 cases in Scotland are linked to imports (international or from England/rest of UK)
, with the remainder of unknown origin or indigenous. This aligns with PHS’s monitoring of UK-wide and European resurgence, where importations threaten under-vaccinated communities.

https://news.stv.tv/scotland/measles-cases-rising-in-scotland-amid-global-outbreak-as-travel-warning-issued

No exact number is specified, but PHS explicitly warns that cases imported from the “rest of the UK” (primarily England, due to its large outbreaks in London, the North West, and Birmingham) could seed local outbreaks in Scotland.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-epidemiology-2023/confirmed-cases-of-measles-in-england-by-month-age-region-and-upper-tier-local-authority-2025

Deaths?

2 last year, 5 the year before, all in England.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/measles-historic-confirmed-cases-notifications-and-deaths/measles-historic-confirmed-cases-notifications-and-deaths

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2 thoughts on “Enfield Measles Outbreak – Is it insensitive to want border control for Scotland when ‘UK’ and Spain lose WHO status as being measles-free after rise in deaths and fall in jab uptake?

  1. Need a border to contain measles ?

    Simply reverse this story . If these outbreaks due to low vaccination rates applied to Scotland , would there be a call from south of the border for some form of border control ?

    Answers on an angry email to The Daily Mail !

    Like

  2. Scottish Vaccine Update published on 28 January 2026

    https://publichealthscotland.scot/publications/scottish-vaccine-update/scottish-vaccine-update-issue-89/introduction/

    “This edition focuses on the recent changes to the routine childhood immunisation programme.

    A combined MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella and varicella) vaccine was introduced in January 2026.

    The vaccine adds protection against varicella (chickenpox) to the existing protection against measles, mumps, and rubella.

    This is important for several reasons.

    • Chickenpox, caused by the varicella zoster virus, is a highly contagious infectious disease.
    • While most cases in children are relatively mild and resolve without intervention from healthcare professionals, some children will go on to develop complications. This can result in hospitalisation and, very rarely, may result in death.
    • In addition, the chickenpox virus stays in the body, and when the immune system is lowered, can reactivate. This causes shingles (also known as herpes zoster).
    • Shingles is a painful infection of a nerve and the skin around it which can be very painful and is more common among older people. For some, the pain caused by shingles can last for many years.”

    Continues

    Liked by 1 person

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