Feb 17, 2026
3 min read
All London boroughs have a vaccination rate of less than 80 per cent, according to UKHSA figures, for five-year-olds who have received both MMR vaccines.
Map: Areas of England with the lowest MMR vaccination rates
According to UKHSA data on five-year-olds receiving both MMR vaccines, vaccination rates in all London boroughs are below 80%.
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases affecting humans, but significant parts of London and other major cities in England have dangerously low vaccination rates.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that at least 95% of children should receive a dose of vaccine for each disease to achieve herd immunity.However, no area of England achieved a vaccination rate of more than 95% in five-year-olds with two MMR shots.
Every borough of London has a vaccination rate of less than 80 per cent. Figures published last August by the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA) showed that only 64.3 per cent of five-year-old children in Enfield received two doses of the MMR vaccine in 2024/25 - one of the lowest rates in the country.
In the neighboring town of Haringey, 65 per cent were vaccinated, while in Hackney only 58.3 per cent of five-year-olds received both doses, which means that one in two children is at risk of getting measles.
An outbreak of measles in north-east London has prompted some children to be hospitalized.UKHSA previously reported 34 laboratory-confirmed cases of measles in Enfield between January 1 and February 9, while seven schools and a nursery in Enfield reported more than 60 suspected cases of measles.
While London has the lowest vaccination rate in the country, cities including Birmingham (75.5 per cent), Coventry (78.9 per cent), Nottingham (71.7 per cent), Liverpool (75.5 per cent) and Manchester (74.5 per cent) also have the lowest vaccination rates for two five-year-olds.
However, data showing the number of two-year-olds who have received a single dose of the MMR vaccine show that only 11 places in England have a vaccination rate of more than 95 per cent.These include West Berkshire (95.3 per cent), Derbyshire (95.5 per cent), Barnsley (95.2 per cent) and Cumberland (95.9 per cent).
Rash, fever, runny nose, cough and conjunctivitis are common symptoms of measles, but they can trigger serious complications such as ear infections, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), blindness, breathing problems or pneumonia.
The MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, is now being replaced by the MMRV vaccine, which protects children against the chickenpox disease, commonly known as varicella.
The UK has previously remained measles-free from 2021 to 2023.But the World Health Organization has confirmed that measles transmission will "re-establish" in the UK in 2024 as vaccination rates rise and cases increase.
Since 1 January 2026, there have been 96 laboratory confirmed measles cases reported in England, according to the UKHSA. Of these cases, 64 per cent have been in London and 26 per cent in the West Midlands - both of which have some of the lowest MMR vaccination rates.
Stuart Neill, professor of virology at King's College London, said: "There are many reasons for this vaccine reluctance, including cultural reasons in some communities; increased anti-vaccine disinformation, or reduced epidemiological coverage when children are less likely to see a doctor because of routine vaccination."
"The rubella vaccine is very effective, but if you don't vaccinate more than 90 percent, you can't prevent it from spreading to unvaccinated people," he added.
Paul Hunter, a professor of medicine at the University of East Anglia, told people that vaccination is the best way to prevent smallpox from spreading again, rather than isolation.
"Measles is arguably the most contagious virus that affects humans, so what we call non-pharmacological interventions have value, but they don't prevent transmission in people who are not immune," he explained.
He said infants under the age of one cannot get the MMR jab and are therefore at greater risk if there is not herd immunity.
"It's hard to protect very young children, so you rely on herd protection, which in Enfield, there's not a lot of herd protection to go around, and it's the young children who get the worst disease outcomes," Professor Hunter added.
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