A lot of vaccine hesitancy': how north London council is responding to measles outbreak

"The borough has struggled with low vaccine uptake for years, fighting against vaccine hesitancy, online misinformation and health inequalities. Working closely with communities to persuade them to come forward for vaccinations is an ongoing public health challenge, which Enfield like many boroughs is grappling with, Enfield council's director of public health, Dudu Sher-Arami said. This has not come as a surprise to us. We've been trying to work to increase vaccination uptake for many years."

"And so we do reach into various communities, she said, citing Edmonton, the focal point of the measles outbreak. Similar to other areas with low vaccine uptake, Edmonton has high levels of deprivation. We can all understand that if people are in a position where they have three jobs, low income, insecure housing, then vaccination is not going to be on the top of their to do list, said Sher-Arami, adding that the churn of the population was another factor."

"At present, Enfield is working very hard scouring its database to find children who have missed one of their jabs and calling up their parents, said Sher-Arami. A special vaccination clinic has been set up in the school with the most cases, along with increased capacity across the borough, including additional slots at GP surgeries. She added that it can be a challenge to persuade people to come."

Enfield faces a measles outbreak linked to years of low vaccine uptake, vaccine hesitancy, online misinformation and health inequalities. Public health teams are engaging communities, faith leaders and community leaders to encourage vaccination and to provide accurate positive information. Edmonton, the outbreak focal point, has high deprivation and population churn, with many residents working multiple jobs, low incomes and insecure housing that make vaccination a lower priority. The council is scouring databases to find children who missed jabs, calling parents, creating a special clinic at the affected school and increasing vaccination slots at GP surgeries. School-based immunisation programmes are the most effective interventions.

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