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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To cancel coming to London due to measles

29 replies

Alpineal87 · 16/02/2026 23:10

Sorry another measles thread.
I live in the north west and have booked to bring my 5 year old to London for the day on Thursday just to go to the natural history museum and go home again. He’s fully vaccinated and has had the booster but his three year old sibling has only had the first dose (due to have his second next week!). Is it risky to visit? My 3 year old had heart surgery as a baby, he’s considered fully repaired now and doctors told us to treat him “normally” but I do worry a bit extra.

thanks

OP posts:
SpanThatWorld · 16/02/2026 23:17

The area with the measles outbreak is one of the more disadvantaged suburbs. It's about 20 miles from the museums.

Dexy7655 · 16/02/2026 23:19

I thought you meant you had measles or your kid did. Yes you should stay at home and take it easy op, and avoid giving it to people on the train...

Alpineal87 · 16/02/2026 23:21

Sorry no the title of the thread is misleading. We don’t have measles, I’m concerned about the outbreak

OP posts:
gototogo · 16/02/2026 23:23

Whilst not to be dismissed, it’s a few dozen cases in a population of millions. Enjoy your trip

HaveANiceFuckingDay · 16/02/2026 23:24

No measles here and I work in a london school.

Sweetie198 · 16/02/2026 23:25

I think you will be fine. The second is just a booster, the first dose offers around 95% protection. My DD school had one measles case a little while ago, no other known cases occurred

saraclara · 16/02/2026 23:31

You know that millions of people live in London, right? Parents with babies aren't moving out in their thousands to avoid measles in a very small area of their huge city!
They live there 24/7. You're just going for the day, to a place far from that area.

I'm trying to be reassuring rather than mean, but come on now. Give it some thought and get your risk assessment back on track, and have a lovely day!

johnd2 · 16/02/2026 23:55

To put it in perspective we live in the next borough, our kids are the same age as yours and today we went on the bus to a busy part of that borough, changed to the train that goes through the whole borough, and went further in to London. And the same in return. We are not worried at all, and there are thousands of others in a similar situation.
I think the cases are more likely to spread at school where they are all together the whole day than in a museum where you pass by so many people.

I'm more bothered by the incessant colds they keep bringing home and giving to me, one after the other at the moment.

Ace56 · 17/02/2026 00:31

Don’t be so ridiculous

BlockCable · 17/02/2026 07:57

I am in central London now. People of all ages milling around. I mean to minimise your risk, you could stay home and only leave for school, work and emergencies. But that would be a rather boring existence I think.

Hoardasurass · 17/02/2026 08:22

If your fully vaccinated you shouldn't be a carrier ie you cant catch it and pass it on

Thepeopleversuswork · 17/02/2026 08:30

Sorry but this is absolutely ridiculous. London is a city of around 8 million people. The measles outbreak is concerning but it’s occurring in a small, fairly deprived area a long way outside central London which you would have to go out of your way to go to. Your children are vaccinated anyway. Their risk of contracting measles is roughly that of being hit by an off target asteroid.

Your ability to assess risk needs some major recalibration if you think seriously that this is a risk to your children. It also really pisses me off that people now feel empowered to talk about a trip to London in this way, as if it was a war zone.

LattePatty · 17/02/2026 08:54

Come on now. A trip to the natural history museum is a great day out. Millions of people live in London and a tiny tiny percent of them have measles. Your child is vaccinated. Go and enjoy.

“It also really pisses me off that people now feel empowered to talk about a trip to London in this way, as if it was a war zone”.

Yep this. If it’s not the fear of stabbings it’s now apparently the fear of measles. The chances of experiencing either as a visitor rather than say a gang member or a child living in a deprived community are SO tiny.

Zanatdy · 17/02/2026 08:55

Of course not. Your child is vaccinated. Live your life the same as you did before you read the article.

AudHvamm · 17/02/2026 09:05

If it’s not the fear of stabbings it’s now apparently the fear of measles. The chances of experiencing either as a visitor rather than say a gang member or a child living in a deprived community are SO tiny.

Exactly this, and in Kensington and Chelsea no less, one of the richest areas of the city and in half term likely to be full of tourists and visitors.

There was a similar thread about not coming to London because of bedbugs on tube the other day. Why are some people from the rest of the UK so scared of the capital? Do they talk about Birmingham and Manchester in the same way?

StopWindingBobStopWinding · 17/02/2026 09:10

Most of the people in the NHM on any given day are tourists, many not even from the UK, let alone other parts of London. So there’s no difference in your risk at all. I understand why the talk of measles has frightened you - I have a family member left very disabled by measles as a child - but you need to retain perspective.

Thepeopleversuswork · 17/02/2026 09:22

AudHvamm · 17/02/2026 09:05

If it’s not the fear of stabbings it’s now apparently the fear of measles. The chances of experiencing either as a visitor rather than say a gang member or a child living in a deprived community are SO tiny.

Exactly this, and in Kensington and Chelsea no less, one of the richest areas of the city and in half term likely to be full of tourists and visitors.

There was a similar thread about not coming to London because of bedbugs on tube the other day. Why are some people from the rest of the UK so scared of the capital? Do they talk about Birmingham and Manchester in the same way?

Because the far right has done a real number on people trying to persuade everyone that London is the new Aleppo or Khartoum.

You will get stabbed as soon as you step off the train
London is a “sewer” (read on here many times). Our mayor is trying to implement sharia law, apparently. We’re all addicted to crack.

Oh but we are also peopled by the “Metropolitan Elite” and full of woke lefties. They can’t make their minds up.

But people feel able to say things like this with impunity in a way they would not dream of doing about Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow, Hartlepool, Bath etc. Its offensive and childish and people who haven’t been to London in decades need to come here and see for themselves before spouting off about it.

Hoardasurass · 17/02/2026 10:01

Thepeopleversuswork · 17/02/2026 09:22

Because the far right has done a real number on people trying to persuade everyone that London is the new Aleppo or Khartoum.

You will get stabbed as soon as you step off the train
London is a “sewer” (read on here many times). Our mayor is trying to implement sharia law, apparently. We’re all addicted to crack.

Oh but we are also peopled by the “Metropolitan Elite” and full of woke lefties. They can’t make their minds up.

But people feel able to say things like this with impunity in a way they would not dream of doing about Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow, Hartlepool, Bath etc. Its offensive and childish and people who haven’t been to London in decades need to come here and see for themselves before spouting off about it.

Clearly you've never heard how Glasgow is described in Scotland.
At 1 point it held the title of knife crime capital of the world (yes i know that its not a capital city thats just the title). It's now known as the drugs capital of Scotland and still has some of the highest knife crimes in the UK

MidnightPatrol · 17/02/2026 10:08

Thepeopleversuswork · 17/02/2026 09:22

Because the far right has done a real number on people trying to persuade everyone that London is the new Aleppo or Khartoum.

You will get stabbed as soon as you step off the train
London is a “sewer” (read on here many times). Our mayor is trying to implement sharia law, apparently. We’re all addicted to crack.

Oh but we are also peopled by the “Metropolitan Elite” and full of woke lefties. They can’t make their minds up.

But people feel able to say things like this with impunity in a way they would not dream of doing about Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow, Hartlepool, Bath etc. Its offensive and childish and people who haven’t been to London in decades need to come here and see for themselves before spouting off about it.

Yes we recently had a friend cancel a trip to visit because they were afraid of the risk of a terrorist attack.

London is very safe, unless you are in a gang.

If you are visiting the NHM you will be exposed to thousands of people from all over the world. That some people elsewhere in London have measles is the least of your ‘possible infection’ risk.

And OP - I have small children and take them to the NHM and others regularly, no serious diseases yet. Their nursery on the other hand…

LittlePetitePsychopath · 17/02/2026 10:09

I wouldn't worry about the measles.

I wouldn't go to the NHM in half-term with a 5 year old and a 3 year old, though. It was absolute bedlam yesterday. Someone was having wedding photos taken in the middle, there was an insane amount of tourists, and people sheltering from the rain. It couldn't have been any busier. You get swept along in a sea of people so you can't fully see anything and my four year old has asked to go back when it's less busy because he doesn't feel like he saw much.

I've never seen it as bad as it was.

LittlePetitePsychopath · 17/02/2026 10:13

Thepeopleversuswork · 17/02/2026 09:22

Because the far right has done a real number on people trying to persuade everyone that London is the new Aleppo or Khartoum.

You will get stabbed as soon as you step off the train
London is a “sewer” (read on here many times). Our mayor is trying to implement sharia law, apparently. We’re all addicted to crack.

Oh but we are also peopled by the “Metropolitan Elite” and full of woke lefties. They can’t make their minds up.

But people feel able to say things like this with impunity in a way they would not dream of doing about Leeds, Manchester, Glasgow, Hartlepool, Bath etc. Its offensive and childish and people who haven’t been to London in decades need to come here and see for themselves before spouting off about it.

I'll agree that there's a real backlast against London from the far right.

But it's not just London, it's just that you're hearing a lot of that because you live there. I live somewhat near Birmingham and the rhetoric around that is insane; it's already under Sharia Law, it's unsafe, there's no white people, nobody goes out after dark. It's insane.

It's a localised attack on people and places, just like it was with Brexit. Advertise the anti-cat stuff to the people who hate cats. The anti-London stuff to people who are already feeling far removed from the Capital one way or another. Divide everyone.

Thepeopleversuswork · 17/02/2026 10:14

Hoardasurass · 17/02/2026 10:01

Clearly you've never heard how Glasgow is described in Scotland.
At 1 point it held the title of knife crime capital of the world (yes i know that its not a capital city thats just the title). It's now known as the drugs capital of Scotland and still has some of the highest knife crimes in the UK

That’s fair. It just pisses me off that people feel comfortable about being so fastidious about going to big cities in general and so dismissive and rude.

Its flavour of the month at the moment to diss London. Birmingham had its turn recently because of Jenrick’s racist outburst (and God knows Birmingham has its problems but to spread that kind of rhetoric about a large, diverse city is so irresponsible).

Its all unpleasant, small minded and backwards. Not saying this OP is intending this as such but people need to think critically and employ a bit of common sense before they position our large cities as huge slums.

Thepeopleversuswork · 17/02/2026 10:16

LittlePetitePsychopath · 17/02/2026 10:13

I'll agree that there's a real backlast against London from the far right.

But it's not just London, it's just that you're hearing a lot of that because you live there. I live somewhat near Birmingham and the rhetoric around that is insane; it's already under Sharia Law, it's unsafe, there's no white people, nobody goes out after dark. It's insane.

It's a localised attack on people and places, just like it was with Brexit. Advertise the anti-cat stuff to the people who hate cats. The anti-London stuff to people who are already feeling far removed from the Capital one way or another. Divide everyone.

I completely agree with you about Birmingham. Most of this is reheated racism and absolutely disgraceful.

FryingPam · 17/02/2026 10:20

You’ll be mixing with tourists from all over the world at NHM who will have travelled through busy airports. I think measels in north London play a very minor part in the risk of exposure.

LadyCrustybread · 17/02/2026 10:24

London isn’t like other cities. A small outbreak in a residential area is a drop in the ocean. 10 million people live here and 60,000 visitors come every day. Your kid won’t get measles.

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