Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help prevent the spread of measles in schools.

Vaccination is the safest and most effective way to protect children and staff against measles. In England, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) works closely with NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care to improve uptake of the routine childhood immunisation programme, including the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. The UKHSA also works closely with the Department for Education and a broad range of stakeholders and partners at the national, regional, and local level to communicate the importance of the MMR vaccine and the risk of measles, across media, social media, and through engagement with local communities.

The UKHSA Health Protection Teams work closely with local partners and schools to respond to measles outbreaks when they arise. Guidance for educational settings on preventing and managing infectious disease like measles is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities

Information for parents whose children have contracted measles can be found at the following link:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/measles/

From 1 January 2026, general practices will offer eligible children a combined vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella instead of MMR, as part of the routine infant vaccination schedule. Further information is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/introduction-of-a-routine-varicella-mmrv-vaccination-programme