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A worrying surge in measlescases across England has been revealed in official government stats and a leaked internal report suggest the real figures could be even worse.

Officially there have been 158 confirmed cases of the virus this year to February 16 and of those two thirds were recorded in London, with the rest in the West Midlands. In the whole of 2025 there were 959 laboratory confirmed cases in England. Worryingly the internal memo, marked"official sensitive" suggests that there have been 340 suspected cases in London this year.

It also revealed that from January 20 to February 7 there were 34 confirmed vases in a single school in Enfield, with local health chiefs urging local parents to make sure their children are given the MMR vaccine. They added that any child who contracts the virus is forced to isolate for three weeks and will not be allowed to return to school during that time.

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In London just 70% of children have been vaccinated, much lower than the national figure of 84%, but both well below the 95% needed for herd immunity to be effective and stop outbreaks running riot through schools and the vulnerable community, including the elderly and pregnant women.

In Enfield, where the school with 34 confirmed cases is, the vaccine rate was last recorded at a worrying 64%. UKHSA modelling suggests that in a worst-case scenario, up to 160,000 people in London could become infected with measles.

The country was "measles free" until 2024 when the worst outbreak in the country saw 3,681 officially lab-confirmed cases.

Young children are offered one MMR vaccine after their first birthday and the second before they start school, usually at around 3 years and 4 months. The World Health Organisation recommends around a 95% uptake to protect those who are too young to have the vaccine.

The first symptoms of measles develop around 10 days after you’re infected - and include:

• cold-like symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing, and a cough
• sore, red eyes that may be sensitive to light, watery or swollen
• a high temperature (fever), which may reach around 40°C (104°F)
  
• small greyish-white spots in the mouth
• aches and pains
• loss of appetite
• tiredness, irritability and a general lack of energy

The measles rash appears around 2 to 4 days after the initial symptoms and normally fades after about a week. The rash is made up of small red-brown, flat or slightly raised spots that may join together into larger blotchy patches. It usually first appears on the head or neck, before spreading outwards to the rest of the body, is slightly itchy for some people.

If you suspect your child has measles contact NHS 111 immediately.