What are the symptoms of Measles?

Measles is a very contagious viral infection that spreads from person to person quickly and predominantly affects children. An infected child can pass the illness to 9 out of 10 of their unvaccinated close contacts. Most symptoms occur 10-14 days after exposure to measles.

A child will usually develop a high fever, a cough, a runny nose, red watery eyes, and the very typical non-itchy rash that is extremely red and starts on the face, spreading quickly to the rest of the body. We look for tiny white spots with a red halo inside a child’s cheeks that appear one or two days before the rash that confirm it is measles, but not all patients develop them.

Measles is complicated by ear infections (in 75 per 1000 cases) pneumonia (in 10-60 cases per 1000 and a leading cause of measles related death), and rarely by encephalitis (brain inflammation in about 1 case per 1000). Rarely a fatal complication called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis can occur 7-10 years later (about 1 in 600 for babies under one year, and less for older children but almost never in vaccinated children).

Why is Measles a risk again in 2024-2025?

Unfortunately, there has been a surge of cases recently. There were 127,350 cases of Measles in Europe and Central Asia in 2024, which is the highest number of cases since 1997.

A total of 38 deaths were reported in March 2025 worldwide, with high case numbers in Romania and Kazakhstan, and two deaths in Texas. Although only eight years ago we thought it had been eliminated in the UK, there was a death in the UK from measles at the start of 2024, and there has been a rise in measles cases in the last quarter of 2024.

There were 306 cases in the UK, which is about a 50% increase from the previous quarter, and there have been outbreaks in the West Midlands and the Southwest.

Who is most at risk of Measles?

Most at risk are babies under one year old, pregnant women, people with weakened immune systems, world travellers, or those with close contact with children, but any unvaccinated child or adult will be at risk of measles.

Why is there a Measles outbreak in the UK?

We think that the outbreak has been primarily caused by declining vaccination rates. Sadly, in London, only 73.3% of children are immunised. There was a delay in childhood vaccinations during the pandemic, and some children missed their vaccinations completely.

We need 95% of children to be fully immunised to achieve herd immunity, and regions with vaccination coverage below the 95% threshold are vulnerable to outbreaks.

How to check if you or your child is immune to Measles

Thankfully, there is a simple blood test that can be done for anybody who wants to find out if they are still immune to measles. We test for immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella, and if you or your child is not immune to any of the three illnesses, the vaccine can be considered, as it is a safe and effective vaccine that can be given at any age. The measles vaccine is not given separately.

When is the MMR vaccine given?

The vaccine is given to children in two doses. The first dose is given at 12 to 15 months and the second booster at four to six years old.

If you know that you or your child is not vaccinated, we would be happy to meet you to discuss the vaccination.

Not vaccinated or unsure about your MMR status? Here’s what to do

If you are unsure about your vaccination status, do please consider having MMR immunity measured with a simple blood test to make that decision and keep your family safe.

Book a Measles immunity test or MMR vaccine in London

To book an appointment, you can use this link for our online booking system or call us on 020 7245 9333.

Article produced by Sloane Street Surgery, a private GP practice in London that provides world-class private healthcare for patients in Chelsea, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, West London, Hampshire, and beyond.