Fact sheets

Measles fact sheet (PDF 147KB)

Public Health action

• OD 0123/08 Measles: National Guidelines for Public Health Units

• Communicable Disease Guideline, for teachers, child care workers, local government authorities and medical practitioners

• Australian Immunisation Handbook

Notifiable disease data and reports

• Up-to-date Measles notification data

• General infectious disease reports

Additional sources of information

• Control of Communicable Diseases Manual

• Measles Information for Contacts (PDF 101KB)

Case definition

Reporting

Confirmed and probable cases should be notified immediately by telephone to the Department of Health (that is within a few hours of suspicion of first diagnosis).

A confirmed case requires either:

1. Laboratory definitive evidence
 OR

2. Clinical evidence AND epidemiological evidence

Laboratory definitive evidence

At least one of the following:

1. Isolation of measles virus
OR

2. Detection of measles virus by nucleic acid testing
OR

3. Detection of measles virus antigen
OR

4. IgG seroconversion or a significant increase in antibody level or a fourfold or greater rise in titre to measles virus EXCEPT if the case has received a measles-containing vaccine eight days to eight weeks before testing. (NOTE: paired sera must be tested in parallel).
OR

5. Detection of measles virus-specific IgM antibody confirmed in an approved reference laboratory EXCEPT if the case has received a measles-containing vaccine eight days to eight weeks before testing

Clinical evidence 

An illness characterised by all of the following:

1. A generalised maculopapular rash lasting three or more days
AND

2. Fever (at least 38°C if measured) at the time of rash onset
AND

3. Cough OR coryza OR conjunctivitis OR Koplik spots

Epidemiological evidence

An epidemiological link is established when there is:

1. Contact between two people involving a plausible mode of transmission at a time when:

a. one of them is likely to be infectious (approximately five days before to four days after rash onset)
AND

b. the other has an illness that starts within seven to 18 (usually 10) days after this contact
AND

2. At least one case in the chain of epidemiologically linked cases (which may involve many cases) is laboratory confirmed

Probable case

Requires laboratory suggestive evidence AND clinical evidence.
Laboratory suggestive evidence - detection of measles specific IgM antibody other than by an approved reference laboratory EXCEPT if the case has received a measles-containing vaccine eight days to eight weeks before testing.

Clinical evidence

As with confirmed case.