Measles is a disease the world once learned to hold at bay, and on a Monday in January the World Health Organization recorded that Britain, Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan could no longer claim to have stopped it. The loss reflects a continent-wide rise in infections that followed years of slipping vaccination, a pattern that has long marked measles as the first illness to return when protection thins. Behind the formal decision, made last September on 2024 figures and held back until every country agreed, lies a quieter story of children who were not reached in time. The qu
UK and Several European Nations Lose Measles Elimination Status as Vaccination Rates Slip
Measles can cause high fever, rash, serious long-term complications and death; thousands of children were infected in England in 2024.
One of the first illnesses to rebound when vaccination rates decline
Mark
Six countries lost measles elimination status at once. What does that actually mean?
Mimi
It means measles is no longer being kept out. The WHO's test is no locally transmitted cases of the same strain for 12 months or longer, and these countries failed it based on 2024 data.
Mark
Why did it take until January 2026 to hear about it?
Mimi
The decision was made last September, but the WHO waited until every country involved had signed off before publishing on Monday.
Luke
So the news is a few months old, and the data is older still. Does the report say what has happened in 2025?
Mimi
Not in this reporting. The figures are all from 2024.
Mark
What's the clearest number?
Mimi
Britain's 84.4% two-dose coverage among children in 2024, against a WHO benchmark above 95%. England also had 2,911 confirmed cases, the most since 2012.
Luke
Those figures are solid. But the explanation, that people have grown more skeptical of vaccines since COVID, is attributed to health experts as a warning. The report doesn't quantify it or show it caused this drop.
Mimi
Fair. It's presented as what experts say, not as a measured cause.
Mark
Is Britain's situation new?
Mimi
Not entirely. It got status in 2016, lost it in 2018, regained it in 2021, and has now lost it again.
Luke
And the U.S.? The report says it's working to retain status, not that it has lost it. That's still undecided.
Mimi
Right. Canada lost its status last year; the U.S. outcome is still open.
O Pulso
- The WHO has stripped six countries of measles elimination status, with Britain among them, after infections surged across Europe.
- Child vaccination in the UK reached only 84.4% for two doses in 2024, far short of the 95% needed to keep the virus from spreading.
- England logged 2,911 confirmed cases that year, the highest count since 2012, and health officials are urging every child to be vaccinated.
- Britain has lost, regained and now lost the status again, and the WHO points to a wider regional problem that includes France and Romania.
- Authorities are racing to lift coverage back toward 95%, and the outcome will decide whether these countries can earn the status back.
Measles is a disease the world once learned to hold at bay, and on a Monday in January the World Health Organization recorded that Britain, Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan could no longer claim to have stopped it. The loss reflects a continent-wide rise in infections that followed years of slipping vaccination, a pattern that has long marked measles as the first illness to return when protection thins. Behind the formal decision, made last September on 2024 figures and held back until every country agreed, lies a quieter story of children who were not reached in time. The question now is whether lost ground can be regained, as Britain once regained it before.
On Monday the World Health Organization announced that Britain has lost its measles elimination status, and that Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan have lost theirs as well. The agency linked the change to a rise in infections across the continent and called on governments to raise vaccination rates, especially among groups that remain poorly protected, so that fewer children fall ill.
Measles is entirely preventable, yet it spreads so easily that it is among the first diseases to return when immunization slips. It often brings a high fever and a rash, and it can leave lasting harm or, in some cases, kill.
The British figures are sobering. Experts estimate that more than 95% of children need both doses to keep measles away, but in 2024 only 84.4% of UK children had them. England recorded 2,911 confirmed cases that year, the most since 2012. The decision was made last September using 2024 data, and the announcement waited until every country had signed off.
Britain has been here before: it gained elimination status in 2016, lost it in 2018, and regained it in 2021. Now it must climb back again. The UK Health Security Agency has asked every child to be vaccinated, and the WHO has warned that France and Romania also face ongoing transmission. Canada lost its status last year, and the United States is working to protect its own. What comes next depends on whether vaccination can lift coverage back toward the 95% mark.
On Monday, the World Health Organization announced that Britain has lost its measles elimination status. Spain, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan lost theirs too. The agency tied the change to a jump in infections across the continent and urged governments to raise vaccination rates, especially among under-protected groups, so that more children are not infected.
Measles is entirely preventable with vaccination, but it spreads very easily, which makes it one of the first diseases to return when immunization coverage falls. It commonly brings a high fever and a rash. It can also cause serious long-term complications and, in some cases, death.
The numbers behind the British decision are stark. The WHO estimates that vaccination rates must exceed 95% to keep measles at bay. In the UK in 2024, only 84.4% of children had received both doses needed for full protection. Government data showed 2,911 confirmed cases in England that year, the highest count since 2012.
Elimination status is decided by WHO committees in each region, using case data. To count as measles-free, a country must go 12 months or longer without locally transmitted cases of the same strain. The decision on the European countries was made last September, based on 2024 data. The WHO held back the announcement until every country involved had signed off, and published it only on Monday.
The UK has been through this before. It was first granted elimination status in 2016, lost it in 2018, and regained it in 2021. Now it has lost it again. On Monday the UK Health Security Agency said all children should be vaccinated to protect themselves against measles.
The WHO placed the British case within a wider regional problem. "The UK's change of status reflects a broader challenge we're facing across the WHO European Region," the U.N. health agency said on its website. It noted that several other European countries already have regular measles transmission, including France and Romania.
The trend extends beyond Europe. Canada lost its elimination status last year, and the United States is working to keep its own as infections mount. Health experts have warned that rising outbreaks around the world point to a wider resurgence of preventable illnesses, in populations that have grown more mistrustful or skeptical of vaccines since the COVID-19 pandemic.
What to watch now is whether vaccination efforts in the affected countries can lift coverage toward the 95% mark, and whether those countries can eventually earn the status back, as Britain did once before.
Citações Notáveis
The UK's change of status reflects a broader challenge we're facing across the WHO European Region.— World Health Organization, on its website
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