Victorians are being encouraged to protect themselves and their families from measles by ensuring they are immunised, with outbreaks overseas posing a particular risk to those travelling to South-East Asia – particularly Vietnam at present.
It comes after two new measles cases were identified in Victoria on Friday following overseas travel,
with the cases having attended multiple public places throughout Melbourne while infectious from 13 to 16 January 2025. A list of exposure sites is available online.
It is strongly advised that anyone travelling overseas who may not have been vaccinated against measles receives the measles vaccine before travelling.
Infants in Victoria are eligible for a measles vaccine from six months of age if they are travelling to a country where measles is present, which is six months earlier than routinely scheduled.
“The last thing anyone wants when travelling overseas is to put their child at risk from a lethal disease – vaccination against measles is safe, effective, and free,” said Victoria’s chief health officer Dr Tarun Weeramanthri.
“Anyone planning to travel overseas to a country where measles is present who hasn’t received the vaccine before should speak to their GP or immunisation provider ideally at least six to eight weeks before they depart to allow time for a full course of measles vaccine.”
The Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine is available for free to:
− children 12 months and 18 months of age under the National Immunisation Program
− anyone born during or after 1966 who has not already received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, are unsure of their vaccination status, or do not have evidence of immunity to measles
− infants travelling overseas to countries where measles occurs can be vaccinated with an MMR vaccine from 6 months of age. If an infant receives the MMR vaccine when they are younger than 12 months of age, they still need to receive the two further doses of measles-containing vaccine after 12 months of age, usually at 12 and 18 months of age as per the National immunisation Program Schedule
There has been an increase in reported cases of measles in Australia in recent weeks, with many cases linked to travel to Vietnam, where there is a large measles outbreak occurring.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Health reported over 38,364 suspected measles cases for 2024, including 13 deaths.
Any overseas travel could lead to exposure to measles, with outbreaks reported in Asia, including Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and India, as well as Africa, Europe and the UK, the Middle East, and the USA in 2024.
