An accessible summary of measles activity in England since 1 January 2026, highlighting London and West Midlands clusters and surveillance caveats
The following summary outlines measles activity in England between 1 January 2026 and 6 April 2026. After a peak in recent years — with 2,911 laboratory confirmed cases in 2026 and 959 in 2026 — vigilance continues as new cases are recorded in 2026.
The UKHSA surveillance systems report that activity has been concentrated in specific urban centres, driven by localized outbreak clusters, while national coverage shows cases in every region. This paragraph provides context for the figures and describes how the data are collected and presented.
The next paragraph highlights the overall trend and the key drivers behind the current picture. Between 1 January 2026 and 6 April 2026 there have been 371 laboratory confirmed measles cases, an increase of 35 since the previous report published on 02 April 2026.
The rise since January is largely attributable to outbreaks in North London and Birmingham. For the purposes of reporting, symptom onset is the date used to map trends, and that approach underpins the month-by-month breakdown and regional mapping presented below.
Case numbers, monthly pattern and age profile
The month-by-month distribution in 2026 to date shows 106 cases in January, 141 in February, 120 in March and 4 so far in April (to date). Overall, 69% of cases (256 of 371) occurred in children aged 10 years and under, while 26% (95 of 371) were in people aged 15 years and over. Regional concentration is marked: 57% (213 of 371) of cases were in London, 24% (88 of 371) in the West Midlands and 7% (25 of 371) in the North West. A total of 61 upper tier local authorities (UTLAs) have reported at least one confirmed case with symptom onset since 1 January 2026, with the largest counts in Enfield (96), Birmingham (64) and Islington (26). The vaccination status of confirmed cases is compiled for quarterly publication in related health protection reports.
Recent activity and interpretation
Four-week window and regional shifts
In the four weeks since 9 March 2026 there were 90 laboratory confirmed cases with symptom onset in that period. London accounted for the largest share (41%, 37 of 90), followed by the West Midlands (34%, 31 of 90) and the North West (14%, 13 of 90). During this recent window 27 UTLAs reported at least one case; the highest recent counts were in Birmingham (16) and Islington (15). These short-term figures are useful for tracking acceleration or decline in particular localities but should be interpreted with care.
Understanding reporting delays and laboratory confirmation
Reported counts are provisional and subject to change: additional suspected cases may complete confirmatory testing, and some locally positive results can be discarded after reference laboratory review. Notes accompanying the surveillance visuals indicate that cases are confirmed through either local or reference laboratory testing. A persistent data reporting lag affects the most recent four weeks of data, often underestimating current activity; this is why recent data points in charts are shown with dotted lines. Readers should treat the newest weeks as incomplete until finalised laboratory and epidemiological information becomes available.
Surveillance products, tables and next update
The full dataset and graphical outputs are presented across several products: a UKHSA dashboard with weekly tabulated counts, a monthly series of figures (including Figure 1 showing cases by month from 1 January 2012 to 6 April 2026 and Figure 2 showing weekly onset from 1 January 2026 to 6 April 2026), and tables summarising age-by-region (Table 1) and UTLA counts (Tables 2a and 2b). For confidentiality reasons case counts under 10 per UTLA are suppressed in published tables. No acute measles-related deaths have been reported in 2026 to date; historical mortality data remain available via the notifications and deaths webpage. The surveillance page is updated weekly, with the next scheduled update on Friday 16 April.
In summary, England continues to record laboratory confirmed measles cases in 2026 with notable clusters in London and the West Midlands. The age distribution remains skewed toward younger children, and routine quarterly reports will provide more detail on immunisation status. Ongoing monitoring, timely laboratory confirmation and clear communication of provisional data caveats are essential to interpret these trends accurately.
