The World Health Organization has withdrawn the United Kingdom’s status as a measles free country.
According to sources, the global health body took this step due to an increase in measles cases in England in 2024 and the death of a child.
The UK was declared measles-free in 2017, and this is the second time since then that the country has lost this status.
United Nations health officials only declare countries measles free if cases are extremely rare, imported from abroad, and quickly brought under control.
The virus has the ability to spread rapidly. If an infected person breathes, coughs, or sneezes, the virus can spread easily.
In England, this outbreak had already spread unusually in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
