Without measles vaccination, 'small ignition' outbreaks could be difficult to control, experts warn | Health

Australians are being asked to check whether they have been vaccinated against measles. Numerous occurrences A highly infectious virus.

health authorities New South Wales Victoria alerted the public to three separate cases in May, all in travelers returning from overseas. There have been 35 measles cases confirmed across Australia so far in 2024, more than in all of 2023.

Public health workers have managed to contain these outbreaks so far, but Professor Julie Leask, an immunisation expert at the University of Sydney, said the highly contagious nature of the virus meant it could be much harder to control without greater awareness of symptoms and vaccinations.

“At the moment it's like a small fire that can be controlled fairly quickly,” she said. “It's our ability to prevent community transmission that allows us to say we can maintain measles elimination in Australia.”

Experts have warned that the virus could be difficult to contain if precautions are not taken.

Children can receive their first vaccination at 12 months of age and require a second vaccination at 18 months to achieve full immunity. Infants traveling abroad to areas where measles is endemic can be vaccinated free of charge starting at 6 months of age, with two additional doses required starting at 12 months.

According to the Australian Immunization Register, 92.6% of two-year-old children are fully immunized against measles. But Associate Professor Mel Thiel, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the University of Sydney, said a 95 per cent infection rate was essential for such a contagious virus.

“One infection can lead to 18 to 20 new infections, so if vaccination coverage declines, infections could spread quickly,” she said.

Associate Professor Frank Beard, deputy director of the National Immunization Research and Monitoring Center, said the pandemic had had a relatively small impact on childhood vaccination rates in Australia compared to many other countries. Vaccination coverage was particularly low in low- and middle-income countries such as India, Indonesia, Pakistan, and the Philippines.

Professor Allen Chen, head of Monash infectious diseases in Melbourne, agreed: “There have always been sporadic cases of measles overseas, but since the pandemic, measles vaccination rates have fallen in other countries, putting travellers at higher risk.”

Mr Chen said another group of concern was people born between 1966 and 1992, when only one routine measles vaccine was used in Australia. It is always recommended that this group receive the second dose, Chen said.

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Unlike older people, this group was also less likely to have been exposed to the wild measles virus, and those who were infected with it would also have developed immunity, Beard said.

There have been major measles outbreaks in the past, including the one in New South Wales in 2012. When at least 168 cases occur Because of local infection.

However, Mr Seal said 91.2 per cent of two-year-olds had received all the age-recommended vaccines, up from 92.6 per cent in 2012. Measles has never been eradicated because of its contagiousness, but Australia was declared measles-free in 2014 after there was no local transmission.

Associate Professor Morgin Warner, a microbiologist with the Australian Institute for Pathological Awareness, said if you suspect you or your child has been infected with measles, it is essential to isolate and contact your GP immediately to order a test. Stated.

Symptoms include a characteristic red rash that usually starts on the face and spreads to other parts of the body, small white spots with a bluish center inside the mouth, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.

“Measles is not a disease of the past,” Warner said.