Measles

Statutory notification alert

• Measles infection is an urgently notifiable infectious disease in Western Australia.
• Alert: cases must be reported urgently by telephone to the public health units (HealthyWA) within a few hours of first suspicion of diagnosis.
• See notifiable communicable disease case definitions (Word 1.29MB).
• Notifications should be made using the communicable disease notification form for metropolitan residents (PDF 214KB) or regional residents (PDF 213KB).
• For notification of regional residents see contact details of public health units.
• See also description of Statutory medical notifications in Western Australia.

Public health management

Important information

• Infectious agent: Measles virus.
• Transmission: Measles is usually spread when a person breathes in the measles virus that has been coughed or sneezed into the air by an infectious person.
• Incubation period: 7-18 days (average 10 days) from exposure to fever and usually 14 days until rash appears.
• Infectious period: People usually infectious from just before the symptoms begin (2-4 days) until four days after the rash appears.
• Case exclusion: Cases should not attend school/preschool/child care/work from onset of symptoms to 4 days after onset of rash and should stay home (unless isolated in hospital). See Measles – National guidelines for public health units (external site).
• Contact exclusion: Exclude unimmunised contacts from school/preschool/child care. See Measles – National guidelines for public health units (external site).
• Treatment: No specific anti-viral treatment. Symptomatic treatment only.
• Immunisation:
  • MMR vaccines to be administered according to the Western Australian Immunisation Schedule
  • Anyone born in or after 1966 who is not immune to measles should have 2 doses of measles vaccine, this especially applies to health care workers, childcare workers or people who plan to travel overseas.
  • Infants aged under 12 months, who are travelling overseas to countries experiencing a measles outbreak can receive a free measles vaccine (MMR) from six months of age, after an individual risk assessment by their general practitioner (GP) or in travel clinics (consultation fees may apply).
  • For clinical guidance on MMR vaccination, see WA Health measles immunisation program, and Australian Immunisation Handbook, Department of Health – Measles (external site)
• Case follow-up: Is conducted by public health units (HealthyWA) and the Communicable Disease Control Directorate.

Guidelines for health providers

• Western Australian immunisation schedule
• Communicable Disease Guidelines, for teachers, child care workers, local government authorities and medical practitioners (PDF 386KB)
• Australian Immunisation Handbook, Department of Health – Measles (external site)
• Measles fact sheet (HealthyWA)
• Measles information for contacts (Word 570KB)

Guidelines for public health units

• Contact details for regional population/public health units
• Measles – National guidelines for public health units (external site)
• Measles fact sheet (HealthyWA)
• Measles public health unit checklist (Word 566KB)
• Measles information for contacts (Word 583KB)
• Measles case investigation form (Word 279KB)
• Measles post-exposure guidelines (Word 577KB)
• Measles – letter templates for contacts (Word 348KB)
• Measles – script template for waiting room contacts (Word 595KB)
• WA protocol for accessing immunoglobulin blood products for public health use in Western Australia (PDF 410KB)

Notifiable disease data and reports

• Notifiable infectious disease dashboard
• General infectious disease reports