Measles: Rare, but Still There

Thankfully, Australian doctors nowadays will rarely see a case measles. High vaccination rates have led to Australia being declared ‘measles free’ by the World Health Organisation in 2014. Recently however, most states have issued measles outbreak alerts, largely linked to travellers visiting or returning from overseas.

This reminds us that there are there are still groups of people within the community who should be considered for a catch-up measles vaccination. Adults born between 1966 and 1994 may not have received the necessary two vaccinations before the immunisation program changed in 1992. Many states (but not all) provide funding for this catch-up dose. Additionally, unimmunised adults and children less than 12 months travelling to endemic countries (and there are plenty of them!) should be encouraged to consider vaccination.

As part of the NB Medical/Medcast Hot Topics workshop series, we will discuss features, diagnosis and management of this extremely contagious disease. We’ll discuss the importance of keeping vaccination rates high so we can continue to ensure that measles remains a very rare occurrence.

Hot Topics Courses

Our 2019 national tour of one-day Hot Topics courses commences 23 February through to 30 March. Click here for the details.

Can't make it on the day? Watch the 2018 Hot Topics in high-definition or sign-up to our Hot Topics 2019 LIVE webinar series.

CPD Points

GP Participants in our one-day course are eligible for 12 Category 2 RACGP QI&CPD Points and nurses are eligible for 6 CPD hours. Participants who complete a post-course activity will be eligible for 40 Category 1 RACGP QI&CPD Points.  Certificates of completion can be provided for other health professionals requiring evidence of participation.