GPs urged to look out for measles amid rising cases

Health officials across Australia are urging healthcare professionals to be on the lookout for measles among their patients, with case numbers rising across several states.
 
While numbers remain relatively low, diagnoses in South Australia and Victoria come as cases surge overseas, prompting warnings for Australia’s returning travellers.
 
This includes outbreaks in popular holiday destinations in Southeast Asia, with Vietnam’s Ministry of Health reporting more than 38,364 suspected measles cases for 2024, including 13 deaths.
 
In Victoria, a total of seven recent measles cases have now been connected to travel in this region.
 
Meanwhile in South Australia, a case of measles has been reported in a three-year-old child who had recently travelled from Vietnam.
 
New South Wales and Queensland health officials have also issued warnings to healthcare professionals and the public about the emergence of the disease.
 
A long list of exposure sites has been listed online for each individual state, with visited sites including a flight from Singapore, supermarkets, medical centres, hospitals, beaches, and gyms.
 
In the wake of the rising cases, Victoria’s Chief Health Officer Dr Tarun Weeramanthri is urging doctors to be alert.
 
‘Clinicians are advised to be alert for measles in patients presenting with compatible illness, particularly those with overseas travel or who attended a listed exposure site during the specified dates and times or who are not fully vaccinated against measles,’ he said.
 
‘Anyone who presents with signs and symptoms compatible with measles should be tested and notified to the Department of Health immediately.
 
‘There should be an especially high level of suspicion if they have travelled overseas … and are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated for measles.’
 
The advice comes after a rise in measles cases was reported in Australia last year, with 57 recorded in 2024 compared to 26 in 2023, seven in 2022, and no reported cases in 2021.
 
Worldwide, cases are surging, with 10.3 million cases reported across the globe in 2023, a 20% increase from 2022, according to the World Health Organization.
 
Health officials are now advising GPs to take steps to minimise the risk of measles transmission within their own practices and consulting rooms.
 
Dr Louise Flood, Deputy Director of South Australia’s Communicable Disease Control Branch, said clinicians should examine patients suspected of having measles in their own homes, wherever possible.
 
‘Wear a correctly fitted particulate filter respirator, ie P2/N95, and eye protection,’ she suggested.
 
‘Ensure suspected cases do not use the waiting room and conduct the consultation in a room that can be left vacant for at least 30 minutes afterwards.
 
‘Treat all people who attend the rooms at the same time as and up to 30 minutes after the infectious patient has left the rooms as contacts.’

The RACGP’s fact sheet and checklist for measles is available online.
 
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