Hello everyone,

Very happy to be writing this week's Health Check newsletter as The Independent's new Health Editor, and delighted to have Rebecca Whittaker joining me as our new health reporter.

We look forward to continuing to bring you rigorous, agenda-setting reporting on the health issues that matter most.

This week, measles has taken the spotlight again after a new outbreak was reported in Enfield – a London borough with significantly low uptake of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. More on that below. But first, one Independent columnist reveals why she initially declined the new combined MMRV vaccine, which includes immunisation against chickenpox.

I've heard from other parents who also feel unsure about the new combined MMRV vaccine, and documents show that NHS England has updated its guidance to allow GPs to offer the MMR vaccine on its own if families are reluctant to accept the four-in-one jab.

In other news, does fuel poverty constitute a public health emergency? Experts were commenting on a new report from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), which found that freezing weather caused 2,500 deaths in the UK in 2024–25. With more than 800 people dying in their own homes, do these figures point to a deeper issue around housing, heating and poverty?

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Measles is back in the headlines after a sustained surge in cases throughout 2024 and 2025.

On Sunday, it was reported that an outbreak of around 60 cases had hit Enfield, a borough in north London. According to reports, cases have been circulating in schools.

While concerning, the outbreak is not entirely surprising given the direction of MMR vaccine uptake across the UK. The country lost its measles elimination status last month as coverage declined.

A vaccination rate of 95 per cent is required to prevent measles circulating and to maintain herd immunity. Yet in the UK, only 84.4 per cent of children have received both doses by their fifth birthday – and in some areas coverage falls as low as 65 per cent.

'Big measles outbreak' leaves children hospitalised as health officials give warning

Some children are in hospital for treatment, UK Health Security Agency says after outbreak hits schools and nurseries

Figures published by the World Health Organization show that in 2025, 189 unvaccinated children aged five to nine contracted measles, compared with just 16 vaccinated children. Schools represent one of the highest-risk settings for outbreaks – something borne out in Enfield, where multiple schools have reported cases.

Experts have also pointed out that early years services – including health visitors for under-fives and Sure Start centres – have been significantly reduced over the past decade, limiting opportunities to engage families on vaccination.

Lower uptake is now concentrated in areas of higher deprivation.

Can this growing public health challenge be addressed without tackling the wider issue of social inequality?

Living Well

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