In the Guardian today, the above and:

In 2024, a measles epidemic tore through this community and left one unvaccinated toddler dead.

“As long as vaccination rates remain low, it’s a powder keg,” says Csabai. “Once an epidemic starts, it is already too late to vaccinate. We need to act now.”

Romania is facing the worst measles crisis in the EU. The country has had four epidemics of the illness since 2005, each separated by only a few years of fragile calm.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/apr/18/romania-eu-measles-cases-vaccination-rates-collapse

Around 40 000 people per day fly out of Romania to other parts of Europe, 5 000 to the UK, 400 to Scotland.

However Scotland faces a perhaps smaller in scale risk than that from Romania, closer to home:

Thanks to Dottie for alerting me to this:

In the Sunday Express March 29th, and similarly in other UK media, the above and:

This follows the large outbreak reported two weeks earlier in Enfield, London.

In the Daily Mirror, 15 March 2026

A Victorian disease that had been eliminated in the UK has returned in 50 council areas – and a new map has highlighted the low vaccine-rate areas where it is spreading quickly. Measles infections have now been confirmed by lab tests in every region of England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed, mainly among children under 10. Enfield in London appears to be the epicentre of the current outbreak, with 80 confirmed measles cases so far this year. That includes 35 new cases since the last update in February. https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/health/measles-spreading-across-50-areas-36862985

Covering the story, BBC UK told us this shocking fact:

Travel between London and Scotland is easy. Travel between Birmingham even easier.

The overall MMR vaccination rate in Birmingham is 75.5% against the WHO 95% target but in certain areas it is even lower.

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-historic-confirmed-cases-notifications-and-deaths/measles-historic-confirmed-cases-notifications-and-deaths

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