The Chief Medical Officer has written a letter urging vaccination providers to speak with their patients about the critical role of immunisation in preventing measles and encourage vaccination.
The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Anthony Lawler, is urging medical practitioners to remind patients that vaccination is the best protection against measles.
With ongoing measles outbreaks overseas, we have seen an increase in the number of confirmed measles cases across Australia, most commonly in unvaccinated and under-vaccinated adults aged 20 to 49 years. Vaccination rates have also declined across all cohorts and are below the 95 per cent recommended for herd immunity.
Professor Lawler said it is important to remind people that measles is a serious disease and highly infectious.
Catch-up vaccinations are available for free under the NIP for eligible people up to 20 years and humanitarian entrants or refugees of any age.
In addition to the National Immunisation Program funded measles vaccines , some states and territories also fund measles-containing vaccine for specific cohorts. Dependent on the state or territory, these cohorts may include:
children aged 6 months to less than 12 months who are travelling to a country where measles is endemic or outbreaks are occurring
adults born during or after 1966.
Providers are reminded to confirm whether your patient is eligible for a free vaccine under local arrangements during routine individual risk assessments.
For specific information on individual state and territory vaccination programs, please visit:
JURISDICTION |
Measles Vaccination Health Advice |
ACT |
|
NSW |
|
NT |
|
QLD |
|
SA |
|
TAS |
Adolescent and Adult Immunisation Schedule Tasmania updated January 2025 |
VIC |
Immunisation schedule Victoria and vaccine eligibility criteria |
WA |
Professor Lawler urged providers to help patients verify their vaccination history over the past 30 years, especially before travelling to measles outbreak areas. While the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR) may contain this information, it only records vaccines from 1996 onwards, with mandatory reporting only beginning in 2021. Individuals can check their Immunisation History Statement for reported vaccinations via their Medicare online account, through myGov or the Express Plus Medicare mobile app.
Additional clinical guidance on measles is available in the Australian Immunisation Handbook chapter on Measles
To help determine whether adults should receive a catch-up vaccine, the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) has prepared a guide for immunisation providers .
More information about measles vaccines available under the NIP and catch-up vaccinations is available at health.gov.au/immunisation .
Subscribe to the department's email list to receive the latest NIP news and updates.
