Measles case confirmed at north Shropshire medical practice

Just days after officials announced that the UK was no longer considered to be 'measles-free', Market Drayton Medical Practice has confirmed one of its patients has been diagnosed with the highly contagious disease. 

Available government data suggests it is the first time a case of the disease has been confirmed in Shropshire since at least 2022.

A spokesperson for the practice said the team would be writing to patients who may have been in the waiting area at the same time as the person in question, but said that exposure "would have been minimal" and there was a "low risk" of infection. 

A statement posted on the practice's website said: "We are working closely with the UKHSA West Midlands Health Protection Team, and following their protocols for infectious disease prevention.

"Four days prior to their diagnosis, the patient was briefly treated at the practice and we will be directly writing to any patients who may have been in the waiting area at the same time.

"Measles is an infectious disease and can lead to serious illness, but we want to reassure those patients that their exposure would have been minimal. 

"Due to the timing of the onset of the rash and the size of the waiting room, there is low risk of further infection."

Between January 1, 2025, and the latest report on January 15, 2026, there had been 957 laboratory-confirmed measles cases reported in England.

Measles case numbers began to increase in April 2025, with outbreaks particularly affecting London and parts of North West England.

While several cases have been confirmed closer to home in Birmingham and Staffordshire, no cases have been recorded in Shropshire since at least 2022.

Children in Britain are offered two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) jab, at 12 and 18 months old, but uptake has declined over the last decade. 

The latest figures for England from the UKHSA show that in 2024/25 some 91.9 per cent of five-year-olds had received one dose of the MMR vaccine - the lowest level since 2010/11.

Just 83.7 per cent of five-year-olds had received both MMR doses, down year on year from 83.9 per cent and the lowest level since 2009/10.

The World Heath Organisation recommends that at least 95 per cent of children should receive vaccine doses for each illness to achieve herd immunity.

A spokesperson for Market Drayton Medical Practice said: "We would like to take this opportunity to remind all our patients that the best way to prevent the spread of measles, especially in the young, is vaccination. 

"Please ensure your children attend for their immunisations when called."