Measles notifications and deaths in England and Wales: 1940 to 2020
Updated 1 February 2022
Applies to England and Wales
Year | Notifications | Total Deaths | Description | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1940 | 409,521 | 857 | ||||
1941 | 409,715 | 1,145 | ||||
1942 | 286,341 | 458 | ||||
1943 | 376,104 | 773 | ||||
1944 | 158,479 | 243 | ||||
1945 | 446,796 | 729 | ||||
1946 | 160,402 | 204 | ||||
1947 | 393,787 | 644 | ||||
1948 | 399,606 | 327 | ||||
1949 | 385,935 | 307 | ||||
1950 | 367,725 | 221 | ||||
1951 | 616,182 | 317 | ||||
1952 | 389,502 | 141 | ||||
1953 | 545,050 | 242 | ||||
1954 | 146,995 | 45 | ||||
1955 | 693,803 | 174 | ||||
1956 | 160,556 | 28 | ||||
1957 | 633,678 | 94 | ||||
1958 | 259,308 | 49 | ||||
1959 | 539,524 | 98 | ||||
1960 | 159,364 | 31 | ||||
1961 | 763,531 | 152 | ||||
1962 | 184,895 | 39 | ||||
1963 | 601,255 | 127 | ||||
1964 | 306,801 | 73 | ||||
1965 | 502,209 | 115 | ||||
1966 | 343,642 | 80 | ||||
1967 | 460,407 | 99 | ||||
1968 | 236,154 | 51 | ||||
1969 | 142,111 | 36 | ||||
1970 | 307,408 | 42 | ||||
1971 | 135,241 | 28 | ||||
1972 | 145,916 | 29 | ||||
1973 | 152,578 | 33 | ||||
1974 | 109,636 | 20 | ||||
1975 | 143,072 | 16 | ||||
1976 | 55,502 | 14 | ||||
1977 | 173,361 | 23 | ||||
1978 | 124,067 | 20 | ||||
1979 | 77,363 | 17 | ||||
1980 | 139,487 | 26 | ||||
1981 | 52,979 | 15 | ||||
1982 | 94,195 | 13 | ||||
1983 | 103,700 | 16 | ||||
1984 | 62,079 | 10 | ||||
1985 | 97,408 | 11 | ||||
1986 | 82,054 | 10 | ||||
1987 | 42,158 | 6 | ||||
1988 | 86,001 | 16 | ||||
1989 | 26,222 | 3 | ||||
1990 | 13,302 | 1 | ||||
1991 | 9,680 | 1 | ||||
1992 | 10,268 | 2 | ||||
1993 | 9,612 | 4 | ||||
1994 | 16,375 | 0 | ||||
1995 | 7,447 | 1 | ||||
1996 | 5,614 | 0 | ||||
1997 | 3,962 | 3 | ||||
1998 | 3,728 | 3 | ||||
1999 | 2,438 | 3 | ||||
2000 | 2,378 | 1 | ||||
2001 | 2,250 | 1 | ||||
2002 | 3,232 | 1 [footnote 1] | ||||
2003 | 2,488 | 0 | ||||
2004 | 2,356 | 1 | ||||
2005 | 2,089 | 0 | ||||
2006 | 3,705 | 1 | 1 death acute measles, child with underlying immunological problem | |||
2007 | 3,670 | 1 | 1 adult death late effect of measles | |||
2008 | 5,088 | 2 | 1 death acute measles, child with underlying immunological problem; 1 adult death late effect of measles | |||
2009 | 5,191 | 1 | 1 child death due to SSPE | |||
2010 | 2,235 | 0 | ||||
2011 | 2,355 | 1 | 1 adult death late effect of measles | |||
2012 | 4,211 | 1 | 1 adult death late effect of measles | |||
2013 | 6,193 | 1 | 1 death acute measles, adult | |||
2014 | 1,850 | 0 | ||||
2015 | 1,193 | 0 | ||||
2016 | 1,641 | 1 | 1 death acute measles, infant | |||
2017 | 1,693 | 1 | 1 adult death late effect of measles | |||
2018 | 2,557 | 3 | 2 child deaths from acute measles, one of whom with underlying immunological problem and 1 adult death, late effect of measles | |||
2019 | 806 | 5 | 1 child death due to SSPE, 1 adult death due to SSPE, 1 adult death due to acute measles encephalitis and 2 adults deaths late effect of measles | |||
2020 [footnote 2] | 698 | 1 | 1 adult death, late effect of measles |
Data source
ONS deaths statistics
Inclusion criteria
data presented here include all deaths registered in England and Wales where measles infection was included as either the primary or contributing cause of death on the death certificate.
Interpretation
Measles infection can lead to death after a short acute illness, or can lead to complications with long term sequalae that may lead to death several years later and/or may be a contributing factor to an individual’s death alongside other underlying conditions.
From 2000 to date:
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There were 8 deaths in children or adults in England and Wales that could have been prevented by the UK national immunisation programme i.e. the infection was acquired in England or Wales and the individuals were eligible for a measles-containing vaccine in this country.
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There were 3 deaths reported that were due to measles infection acquired abroad in non-UK born individuals (i.e. could not have been prevented by the UK immunisation programme).
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There were 10 deaths reported where measles infection was acquired before 1968 when the first measles containing vaccine was introduced.
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All reported deaths have been in individuals who have not received any measles-containing vaccine.