Measles

Measles is re-emerging as a serious public health threat across Australasia. Australia recorded 181 cases of measles in 2025, more than three times the 57 cases reported in 2024, and case numbers in 2026 are higher again (as of October 2026). Overseas travel and falling vaccination rates are driving the rise.

Measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases known. Up to 9 in 10 unprotected people exposed to the virus will become infected. The virus can stay in the air for up to two hours after an infectious person has left a room. People are infectious from about four days before the rash appears until four days after. One presentation can expose patients, visitors and staff across waiting rooms, wards and shared spaces.

Each case that enters a hospital, clinic or aged care facility creates significant work: contact tracing that can involve hundreds of people, workforce immunity reviews, exclusions for non-immune staff, rostering pressure and public health notifications. This response takes IPC teams and clinicians away from patient care. Organisations that are prepared respond faster, and fewer people are exposed.

ACIPC has developed a resource pack to help infection prevention and control professionals (IPCPs) raise measles readiness with their leadership, and to help healthcare settings share clear messages with the community.

Know your measles immunity status. Two doses of measles vaccine protect about 99 in 100 people.

Six Questions to Assess Your Measles Readiness Before You Talk to Leadership

• Are we ready for a measles case today?
• Do we have an up-to-date, easy-to-access system for recording staff measles immunity, and is it properly resourced? What will we do to protect staff who don’t have evidence of immunity? Is catch-up vaccination funded and easy to get?
• Do our frontline teams have the training, screening processes and isolation rooms they need to act on a suspected case straight away? If a suspected case walked in today, do we have the staff, space and processes to isolate them without delay?
• Can we quickly identify, isolate and report a suspected case?
• Can our emergency department and waiting areas limit exposure from the moment a patient arrives?
• Will we require evidence of measles immunity as a condition of employment, and fund catch-up vaccination for current staff?

Downloads

For IPCPs

IPCP Briefing Paper: The Cost of Measles Management (PDF) [link]

Measles Advocacy Toolkit, which includes:

• Accreditation compliance checklist for employee immunisation
• Vaccination risk assessment matrix
• Current measles epidemiology and threat
• Workforce immunity strategies
• Tools and resources to support contact tracing
• Organisational readiness framework
• Key recommendations and accountability questions
• Contact tracing requirements and resource needs

For IPCPs

Consumer poster, A4 (PDF) [link]

To share

Social media tiles (ZIP) [link]

Email signature banner (JPG) [link]

Zoom/Teams background, 1920×1080 (JPG) [link]

Further Reading

Links to come