LONDON: Britain and several other European nations have lost their measles elimination status, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced on Monday, amid a rise in infections across the continent.
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Countries including Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan were also stripped of their status, prompting the WHO to call for urgent action to boost vaccination coverage, particularly among under-protected populations.
UKHSA responds to the confirmation from @WHO that the UK has lost its measles elimination status.
Read more from WHO here: https://t.co/O0Eqv9let1 pic.twitter.com/O2Rh5v8XFB
— UK Health Security Agency (@UKHSA) January 26, 2026
Measles is highly contagious but preventable through vaccination. While symptoms typically include high fever and rash, the disease can also cause severe complications and even death. Experts say declining vaccination rates, fueled by increasing vaccine hesitancy since the COVID-19 pandemic, have contributed to the resurgence of the disease.
“The UK’s change of status reflects a broader challenge we’re facing across the WHO European Region,” the agency said. Other countries, including France and Romania, already report regular measles transmission.
WHO determines a country’s measles-free status based on locally transmitted case rates, requiring no cases of the same strain for at least 12 months. Data from 2024 led to the decision, though WHO only released it on Monday after approval from the affected nations.
In the UK, vaccination rates remain below the WHO-recommended threshold of 95 per cent. In 2024, only 84.4 per cent of children received the two doses needed for full protection, and 2,911 confirmed cases were reported in England — the highest since 2012.
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The UK Health Security Agency urged all children to be vaccinated to protect against measles. The UK first received elimination status in 2016, lost it in 2018, regained it in 2021, and has now lost it again, highlighting the ongoing challenge of maintaining high immunisation coverage in the face of rising vaccine hesitancy.