Low vaccination rates leave London vulnerable to outbreaks

 Image: Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida

 

From London Assembly Health Committee

  

London is facing a growing risk of preventable disease outbreaks, the London Assembly Health Committee has warned, after a surge in measles cases linked to low vaccination uptake.

 

An extraordinary committee evidence session on the measles outbreak found vaccination rates in London are just 70%, well below the level needed to prevent outbreaks. There have been 167 measles cases in 2026 so far, with the majority in Enfield, where vaccine uptake is just 64%. Around one in five cases has required hospital treatment, with infections largely among unvaccinated children. Experts warned similar risks are emerging across other diseases.

 

Following the meeting, the Committee has written to the Mayor of London and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, urging them to consider how they can support boroughs with low vaccination uptake to deliver sustained, localised vaccination campaigns.

 

The Committee is also calling for improved data sharing to boost uptake.

 

Chair of the London Assembly Health Committee, Emma Best AM, said:

 

Measles is one of the most infectious diseases we know, yet it is preventable with a safe and highly effective vaccine. What we are seeing in London should set alarm bells ringing as vaccination rates are amongst the lowest in the country, and as a result, preventable outbreaks are becoming inevitable rather than exceptional.

 

We heard clearly from health leaders that this situation is not unexpected. When coverage drops, diseases like measles, and increasingly others such as meningitis, exploit those gaps quickly, particularly in dense urban areas and communities facing deprivation.

 

While the response on the ground has been strong, we cannot keep relying on emergency catch-up campaigns. We need sustained, targeted action to rebuild routine vaccination coverage, improve access in communities, and ensure no child falls through the cracks. Without that shift, London will remain exposed to repeated outbreaks that put children’s health and lives at risk.