Measles is emerging in the elderly and vaccine-hesitant in an 'atypical surge'

There have been 72 cases reported in 2025 and that figure already exceeds the total for 2024 which was 57.

It is also the highest number recorded since 2019 when there were 284 cases for the full year.

Infections are highest in Victoria (27) and NSW (21) in 2025.

Royal Australian College of General Practitioners NSW/ACT chair Rebekah Hoffman told ACM, the publisher of this masthead, there were numerous reasons behind the increasing detections.

There are generally spikes in measles every 10-12 years but these case numbers went beyond that, she said.

Dr Hoffman attributed the rise to pockets of Australia that are 'vaccine-hesitant', a growing number of communities dropping below the level required for herd immunity.

She also said there were some Australians in their sixties and seventies who were unvaccinated because the vaccine wasn't available when they were children.

Two doses of the MMR (Mumps, Measles, and Rubella) vaccine were introduced to the national childhood immunisation schedule in the early 1990s.

"We are also travelling again and going to places with active measles outbreaks, like pockets of Asia and Africa, and unknowingly bringing measles back," she said.

Dr Hoffman said measles has a long incubation period and also spreads quickly, making it a particularly concerning illness.

Measles spreads through the air when someone who is infectious coughs or sneezes.

Symptoms to watch out for include fever, sore eyes, runny nose and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head and face to the rest of the body.

It could take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure.

Health experts advise people to consult their doctor if they are unsure about their vaccination status.

Measles could cause serious complications, including pneumonia and encephalitis.