Health authorities are urging families to ensure their children are vaccinated against measles, warning NSW could record its highest number of cases in a decade if local transmission of the highly contagious disease is not contained.
Free vaccines are also being promoted for infants travelling overseas before their first immunisation at 12 months, as Australia ramps up efforts to guard against a global surge in measles cases.
NSW recorded 60 cases of measles between January 1, 2025, and March 7 this year, analysis released by NSW Health on Thursday showed.
Eight locally acquired cases were not directly linked to an overseas case, indicating measles was circulating in the community.
“If that’s not properly controlled, then we could see more cases arising from within NSW,” said Dr Vicky Sheppeard, NSW Health’s executive director of health protection.
“So far, we’ve been successful in containing this, but every time we get a new case, then the challenge of an outbreak could arise.”
None of the eight locally acquired cases were documented as having received a measles vaccination, Sheppeard said.
NSW Health issued another measles alert on Wednesday after being notified of two new cases – one of which was locally acquired – taking the total cases to 26 for the year so far.
The figure exceeds the 25 cases recorded in the first three months of 2019. There were a total of 62 cases recorded that year, the most since 2014.
“I’m hoping we don’t get to that number,” Sheppeard said.
Sheppeard said children between six months and 11 months old could receive a free dose of measles vaccine if they were travelling overseas. This dose does not replace the routine vaccinations scheduled at 12 and 18 months under the National Immunisation Program.
While most cases acquired overseas have come from tourist hotspots in South-East Asia, Sheppeard said all overseas travellers should get their infant vaccinated.
“Being on a plane anywhere overseas, there’s a risk,” Sheppeard said.
Adam Mather’s then 11-month-old son Taylen had not yet received his measles vaccines when the family travelled to Bali for a pre-Christmas holiday.
“I was probably a little bit naive,” said Mather, a pilot from Sydney’s upper north shore. “Obviously, there was a risk involved in taking him overseas [without being immunised].”
That risk became a reality when authorities informed Mather there was a known measles case on their flight from Bali to Perth.
When Taylen’s nose became runny a week later, testing confirmed he had measles. A high fever followed, then a rash that caused the infant to constantly rub his eyes.
Taylen avoided hospital, but Mather knows it could have been much worse; 77 per cent of people who have caught measles in NSW since January last year have been hospitalised.
Two other infants under 12 months have contracted measles since January last year. Another three one- to four-year-olds contracted the infection while not immunised.
Mather’s four-year-old son Tobie, who was fully immunised, avoided measles altogether.
“It just goes to show that they [vaccines] work,” Mather said.
“It’s a horrible thing for your children to go through … I wouldn’t want any other parent to have that same worry.”
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Angus Thomson is a reporter covering health at The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.