On Jan. 19, the UK Health Security Agency warned of a measles outbreak after recording over 200 cases in England since October 2023. Already, the numbers are above 2023’s count of 209 cases and 2022’s count of 53 cases.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, measles is a highly contagious viral disease that was first recorded in the 9th century. Measles symptoms consist of a cough, high fever and rashes that appear on the body three to five days after the first symptoms. The disease mainly occurs in children, especially those who are unvaccinated. The first successful vaccine was created by John Enders in 1963. Through rigid vaccination guidelines, the United States, along with other countries, was able to eliminate measles in the late 1900s.

The disease was able to make a comeback in London due to declining vaccination rates. Green Hope biology teacher Jason Wolfe emphasized that “the outbreak in the UK and parts of Europe is a result of the failure of people to get vaccinated.” 

“To reach herd immunity, you need at least a 95% vaccination rate,” Wolfe explained. “In England, that rate is currently around 85%.” Herd immunity is when the majority of a population is immune to a disease, causing the disease to die out due to the lack of hosts to infect.

The rate of vaccination decreased because of many factors, such as the infamous Wakefield study, which falsely claimed that the measles vaccine was linked to autism. Many parents also believed the disease was trivial due to its lack of presence in previous years. 

Lack of vaccination could have serious consequences. “If they fail to [get vaccinated], it could spread more widely, resulting in deaths in the very young, pregnant people and the immunocompromised,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe highlighted the effectiveness of the measles vaccine. “Measles is one of the most highly infectious viruses; it is an RNA virus but does not have the same ability to mutate and evade the body’s immune system in people who are properly vaccinated,” he said.

As the measles outbreak continues, England health authorities continue to urge citizens to get vaccinated and to take care in not spreading the disease.