Officials from the NHS, councils and the voluntary sector have been meeting weekly since May, in order to respond to the rising cases in Hertfordshire and West Essex. At the latest meeting of the county council’s public health and community safety cabinet panel (June 26), councillors were told of the current situation. They heard that nationally, since late 2023, there had been a “rapid increase” in cases of measles – initially driven by a large outbreak in Birmingham.

Although that initial outbreak had now “stabilised”, they heard that in more recent weeks there had been a rise in cases in London – with smaller clusters in other regions and cases “picking up” in Hertfordshire. In total it was reported that there have been 29 confirmed cases of the disease in Hertfordshire, since October last year (2023) – accounting for 39 per cent of all cases in the East of England. Councillors heard there were currently three small ‘outbreaks’ in the county – two in primary schools and one at a pre-school.

Councillors were told there were “relatively small” numbers involved in the Hertfordshire outbreaks, involving two to five children – with the average age of the children being four years old. At the meeting it was reported that one in 15 people with measles can become seriously unwell – with one in five requiring hospitalisation. Public health officials highlighted the importance of the MMR vaccination – which includes the vaccine for measles.

Hertfo.