Sir Keir Starmer warned “public health isn’t a culture war” and urged parents to check their children are up to date with vaccinations after a measles outbreak.
The prime minister said it was “concerning to see more children getting measles” as Enfield, north London, recorded 34 confirmed cases between 1 January and 9 February – more than one third of the 96 cases across England so far this year.
According to a local GP surgery, one in five of the children infected in the recent outbreak needed hospital treatment “and all of them had not been fully immunised”.
At least seven schools in Enfield and Haringey have confirmed infections, with the GP surgery warning “it is spreading”.
On Tuesday, Sir Keir posted on X: “Vaccines are safe, effective and can be life saving.
“We’re urging all parents to check their children are up to date with their recommended vaccinations.”
He said the UK “expects its leaders to stand firmly behind science to protect our children, not to give oxygen to conspiracy theories”.
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“Public health isn’t a culture war. It’s about keeping our communities safe,” he added.
Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can spread very easily among people – both children and adults – who are not fully vaccinated.
The virus causes cold-like symptoms, a rash and spots in the mouth.
While many people recover, the illness can lead to serious complications such as pneumonia, brain inflammation and, in rare cases, long-term disability or even death.
The UKHSA has warned modelling of a large-scale measles outbreak in London could lead to between 40,000 to 160,000 infections.
The modelling released in a report titled “Risk assessment for measles resurgence in the UK” estimated that hospitalisation rates would range from 20% to 40% depending on age.
Read more: What are the symptoms of measles – and what to do if your child is infected
Britain lost its measles elimination status in 2024, with falling immunisation rates stoking fears of a widespread outbreak of the virus.
Dudu Sher-Arami, Enfield’s director of public health, told The Sunday Times that London had “one of the lowest, if not the lowest, vaccination uptake rates” in the country, making the capital especially vulnerable to an outbreak.
The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine has been available in the UK since 1988, with the first dose usually given to babies aged one, and a second dose at three years and four months.
If either dose has been missed, you can still ask your GP for the vaccine.
In the late 1990s and early 2000s, MMR vaccination rates fell to about 80% nationally after a 1998 study by British doctor Andrew Wakefield linked the vaccine to autism.
The study has been discredited after he was found to have manipulated data and he was struck off the medical register – but not before the study led to lower vaccination rates globally.
Since the COVID pandemic, more parents have been asking questions about vaccinations, leading to them searching the internet for answers, where there is a lot of disinformation.
