Measles was eliminated from Australia. Experts warn US and Asia outbreaks may bring back this ‘heat-seeking missile’

There were 18 cases in NSW in 2024 – up from six in 2023 – while in Victoria there have already been 13 cases so far this year, compared with 16 in 2024

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Experts are concerned Australia could become “fertile ground” for measles to take hold if the disease is brought into the country amid outbreaks in the US and south-east Asia.

In the US more than 300 cases have been reported. Two people, including a child, have died in west Texas, the epicentre of the outbreak, which the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expects to “expand rapidly”.