What is measles?

Measles is a contagious illness caused by a virus. It can make you very unwell and lead to serious complications.

Measles is now quite rare in Australia due to a successful vaccination program. Sometimes measles outbreaks still occur when travellers become infected while overseas and bring measles back to Australia. For this reason, it’s important to make sure that everyone in your family is protected by getting vaccinated.

What are the symptoms of measles?

CHECK YOUR SYMPTOMS — Use the Symptom Checker and find out if you need to seek medical help.

What causes measles?

Measles is caused by a virus. Anyone who has not already had measles or been vaccinated can catch it.

How is measles spread?

Measles is very contagious. Most unvaccinated people who have contact with someone with measles will get sick.

Measles is spread through:

• coughing and sneezing
• touching objects that have infected mucus or body fluids on them

The virus can survive in the air and on surfaces for a couple of hours.

When you have measles, you're contagious from the day before you start to feel unwell. You remain contagious until 4 days after the rash appears.

When should I see my doctor?

If you think you may have measles, you should call your doctor or midwife straight away. You should also speak with your doctor or midwife if you have been in contact with someone with measles.

Do not go to the clinic, because you could infect people in the waiting room. Rather, call your doctor and they will let you know the safest way to see them.

Measles is a notifiable disease. If you have measles, your doctor will tell your local public health unit. They may ask to talk with you to try and find out where you caught measles. They may also ask who you have been in contact with (this is called contact tracing). This helps limit the spread of measles and protects your community.

FIND A HEALTH SERVICE — The Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.

What are the complications of measles?

Measles can be a very serious illness, with some people needing to go to hospital.

Common complications include middle ear infection and pneumonia (lung infection). A rare but life-threatening complication of measles is inflammation of the brain.

If you’re pregnant, you have a higher chance of complications such as pneumonia. You are more likely to need to go to hospital.

How can measles affect my pregnancy?

A measles infection during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage or premature birth. It can also affect your baby’s growth.

If you are pregnant, you should not be vaccinated for measles until after you've had your baby.

How can measles affect my unborn baby?

Having measles in pregnancy will not cause your baby to have birth differences.

Your baby is more likely to be small (have low birth weight) and born early.

Your baby could catch measles and be born with a rash.

How is measles treated?

There is no specific treatment for measles.

It's a good idea to:

• rest
• drink plenty of fluids
• take paracetamol for fever — be sure to check the instructions on the packet

Remember, you may need to avoid other pain-relief medicines during pregnancy. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking any medicine during pregnancy.

What if I have been in contact with someone with measles?

Check your Immunisation History Statement to see if you have been vaccinated.

If you have had close contact with an infected person and haven’t had 2 doses of the measles vaccine in the past, you will be offered a medicine with antibodies against measles. This is called post-exposure prophylaxis and reduces your chance of getting sick.

For this to work, you need to have the medicine within 6 days of being exposed.

Ask your doctor or contact your local public health unit to find out about treatment. It's also important to:

• look out for any symptoms
• stay away from other people to stop the spread of the virus
• ask your doctor if your family members need to be vaccinated

If your doctor thinks you may have measles, they will organise some tests.

How can I prevent measles?

The best way to protect yourself against measles is through vaccination.

The measles vaccine is given as part of a combined vaccination that protects against several viruses. There are 2 options:

• measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (known as MMR)
• measles-mumps-rubella-varicella vaccine (known as MMRV)

The vaccines contain a live, weakened form of these viruses. You can’t have these vaccines during pregnancy, as there are concerns that they may affect the health of your baby. Ask your doctor about getting vaccinated after your baby is born.

It is safe for people who are pregnant to have contact with people who have recently been vaccinated.

Read more about vaccinations and pregnancy.

I’m planning a pregnancy — should I be vaccinated?

If you want to become pregnant, you should see your doctor for a pre-conception health check.

If you have never had measles and aren’t vaccinated, now is a good time to get vaccinated.

Your partner might also want to consider getting vaccinated. The vaccine is recommended for all adults born since 1966 who have never had measles or been vaccinated.

You can check if you’ve been vaccinated by looking at your Immunisation History Statement.

If you’ve never been vaccinated, you’ll need 2 doses of the measles vaccine, at least 4 weeks apart. You should avoid pregnancy for 28 days after vaccination, so keep using contraception until at least a month after your second dose.

If you’ve had one dose of the measles vaccine, you should have a second dose — even if the first dose was a long time ago.

Resources and support

Find out more about vaccinations in pregnancy.

For more information about immunisation in Australia, visit the Department of Health Immunisation website.

If you’re not sure if you’ve been vaccinated, find out how to get your Immunisation History Statement from the Australian Immunisation Register.

Find out how babies and children can catch measles, how to treat your child at home, and when to have them vaccinated.

Languages other than English

Health Translations Victoria has information about measles vaccination in many community languages.

Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples

Visit Vaccination for Our Mob for information about measles and vaccination.