Sydney, April 29
Authorities in the southeastern Australian state of Victoria have issued a health alert for measles amid a spike in cases.
The Victorian Department of Health said that a new measles case has been reported in a returned traveller who visited Pakistan and was infectious, on a flight from Dubai to Melbourne on April 24.
The department said on Friday that there had been 22 confirmed cases of measles in Victoria in 2025 - more than in 2023 and 2024 combined. It said the majority of cases have been acquired locally in Melbourne and surrounding areas.
Victoria is Australia's second-most populous state with a population of over seven million.
Tarun Weeramanthri, Victoria's Chief Health Officer, said on Monday that there is an "increased risk" of measles in greater Melbourne and the neighboring Mitchell Shire.
"A growing number of measles cases have acquired their infection locally in Victoria," he said in a statement.
"The majority of recent cases have arisen in people who have not had two documented doses of the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine."
He said that there is also an "ongoing risk" of measles being imported into Victoria by overseas travellers due to rising cases globally.
Anyone who spent time in greater Melbourne or the Mitchell Shire from early April has been urged to monitor for symptoms of measles, including fever, cough and feeling generally unwell followed by a rash that usually starts on the face, Xinhua news agency reported.
Measles can spread through airborne droplets or contact with nose or throat secretions. According to the World Health Organisation, over 107,000 people died from measles globally in 2023 - most of whom were unvaccinated or under-vaccinated children younger than five.
The Victorian Department of Health said that measles vaccination coverage across Australia has fallen below the 95 per cent national target since the COVID-19 pandemic. The MMR vaccine is free in Australia for anyone who has not previously received two doses.
- IANS