Measles cases are rising fast in England after years of falling vaccination rates, official figures show.
More than 1,600 suspected cases were recorded last year, up from 735 in 2022 and 360 in 2021, the U.K. Health Security Agency reports. Back in 2016, the World Health Organization had called the country “measles-free.”
Waning vaccination levels are thought to be driving the potentially fatal disease.
The World Health Organization recommends at least 95% of children have two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella shot by the time they turn 5.
But in 2022/23, just 84.5% of 5-year-olds in England had received their second dose — the lowest proportion in more than a decade.
UKHSA scientists say that London, which has relatively low levels of vaccination, could see outbreaks in the tens of thousands of cases if uptake doesn’t improve.
Experts are also concerned about the West Midlands, which is home to the city of Birmingham and has seen a recent surge in infections.
The area also has a lower level of vaccine coverage, so it’s “no surprise” to see a rise in cases, says Helen Bedford, a professor of children’s health from the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health.
She encouraged anyone who wasn’t already vaccinated to get the shots. “There is no upper age limit for vaccination so if you or your loved ones have missed out, now is the time to get that protection,” she told the U.K.’s Science Media Centre.