Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotland
Click on the above.
Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account - 12266421 Name - JOHN ROBERTSON
From BBC Scotland today:
NHS Grampian is urging people to get vaccinated against measles after its first confirmed case of the illness in more than a decade. Measles is a highly contagious disease which is spread by coughs and sneezes. The virus can lead to pneumonia, brain swelling and death. The last case in the Grampian area was in 2014, and the health board said all adults and children should ensure they are vaccinated.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx24xk1d68lo
No indication of the origin of the case has been given but we have good reason to suspect it was imported. 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.
From Public Health Scotland at the end of 2025, Scotland nationally had first dose MMR by 24 months at 92.5% (rising to 95.9% by age 5). Second dose by age 5 was 90.6% (rising to 90.9% by age 6).
NHS Grampian has historically aligned closely with these national averages or slightly varied, but no dramatic deviation is highlighted in summary releases. Grampian-specific trend files (e.g., from March 2025 report) show uptake maintained near the WHO 95% target.
From BBC London 16 February 2026:
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.
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.
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.
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.
Deaths?
2 last year, 5 the year before, all in England.
Please Support Talking-up Scotland at:
https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/support-talking-up-scotland
Click on the above.
Or direct bank transfer at Sort Code 08-91-04 Account - 12266421 Name - JOHN ROBERTSON
Talking-up Scotland 