fully vaccinated against measles amid an outbreak of the highly-contagious disease. Unvaccinated pupils identified as close contacts of people with measles could be excluded for 21 days in accordance with national guidelines, Enfield Council said in a letter to all parents in the borough in late January. At least 34 children have contracted measles in Enfield so far this year, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has said, and a number sent to hospital. A local health chief meanwhile told the BBC: "We are worried because actually, this is a significantly increased number than what we're used to."

​Asking unvaccinated, close contacts of measles cases to stay off school is fairly standard practice when there are local outbreaks. A local GP surgery said infections had been confirmed in "at least" seven schools in Enfield and neighbouring Haringey. The number of cases seen in the area is not out of the ordinary for such outbreaks, which have been occurring reasonably frequently since late 2023. Dr Jo Sauvage, the chief medical officer of North Central London Integrated Care Board told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that outbreaks did "happen in pockets across the country". But she said: "Certainly in our area we've not seen an increase in number of this degree before." She said some 60 suspected cases had been confirmed - with the majority in schools and nurseries and some children requiring hospital treatment, "particularly those who have not been immunised". "We've been working closely to contain the infection, the spread, but also increase public knowledge and awareness," she said. (BBC)