Measles Alert Issued for Western Australian Travellers
Background and Risks
Western Australian health authorities have issued an urgent warning for overseas travellers to ensure they are vaccinated against measles, after three new cases were confirmed in people returning from Bali, Indonesia.
The new infections bring the state’s total for 2025 to 33, a more than five-fold increase on the six cases recorded in all of 2024, prompting a vaccination plea ahead of the October school holidays.
The Department of Health confirmed that the three most recent cases visited multiple public venues across the Perth metropolitan area while unknowingly infectious, creating a number of potential exposure sites.
Dr. Paul Armstrong, Director of Communicable Diseases Control, said the state is seeing an increase in cases being brought in from overseas, particularly from popular holiday destinations for Western Australians such as Indonesia, India, and Vietnam.
Authorities Urge Vaccination Checks
Health officials are urging specific groups to check their immunisation status. Adults born between 1966 and 1993 (aged approximately 30 to 60) are advised to get a free MMR vaccine if they cannot provide evidence of having received two doses.
People born before 1966 are generally considered immune due to natural exposure.
Parents planning to travel with infants under 12 months are also advised to consult their GP, as an early dose of the MMR vaccine can be administered from six months of age for travel to high-risk areas.
Measles is a highly infectious disease that can cause serious complications, particularly in young children. Symptoms typically begin with a fever, cough, runny nose, and sore eyes, followed several days later by a distinctive red rash that starts on the face.
Anyone returning from overseas who develops these symptoms is instructed to call their GP or a health clinic ahead of their visit to explain their situation and prevent further spread.