A vaccination catchup campaign in London is being stepped up after a resurgence of measles cases in the capital.

The UK is facing a surge in measles cases, mainly concentrated in London, the UK Health Security Agency has warned. The agency linked the increase to continued low levels of MMR vaccine uptake. It issued its warning after 49 cases were reported between 1 January and 20 April this year – compared with 54 in total last year. Currently just 85% of children in England get an MMR vaccination by the age of two. The World Health Organisation target is 95%.

The numbers have raised concern of a resurgence of measles, which was running at high levels before the pandemic. There were 880 people confirmed as infected with the virus in 2019. 33 of the 49 cases this year have been in London with 12 patients being people thought to have been infected outside the UK. Practices and primary schools in London are involved in an MMR and polio vaccination catch up campaign, which targets children who are not vaccinated or not fully vaccinated, the UKHSA said.

Dr Vanessa Saliba, consultant epidemiologist at UKHSA, said: “We are calling on all parents and guardians to make sure their children are up to date with their two MMR doses. It’s never too late to catch up, and you can get the MMR vaccine for free on the NHS whatever your age. Vaccines are our best line of defence against diseases like measles, mumps and rubella and help stop outbreaks occurring in the community. During the COVID-19 pandemic we saw a fall in uptake for the routine childhood vaccinations, including MMR which leaves us vulnerable to outbreaks, especially as people travel abroad for summer holidays to places where measles is more common.”

NHS Director of Vaccinations and Screening, Steve Russell, said: “The NHS has an inspiring history of successful vaccination programmes that have proven time and time again they are the best tool in our arsenal against the spread of highly infectious diseases and since vaccination for measles cases was introduced, over 4,500 lives have been saved. The MMR vaccine has helped prevent the development of potentially life-threatening illness among millions, and it is clear that when uptake falls, infections rise, so I strongly urge parents to review the status of their child’s vaccinations so they can keep them and others protected from measles, mumps and rubella.”