Rise in holiday measles infections sparks health alerts in NSW, SA and Victoria

Cases of the highly contagious virus jumped nearly threefold in 2025 as immunisation rates declined

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Health authorities across Australia are on high alert as measles cases rise across the country, fuelled by summer international travel and a decline in childhood vaccination rates.

Data from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) has found that for the first time in 10 years, Australia's early childhood vaccination coverage has slipped below the critical 95% threshold required for herd immunity.