Measles

Fact sheet - Health conditions directory.

Measles is an acute, highly infectious illness caused by the measles virus.  Measles can cause serious complications such as pneumonia (lung infection) and encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). It may also cause middle ear infection. Measles should not be regarded as a simple mild disease. Deaths occur mainly in children under five years of age, primarily from pneumonia, and occasionally from encephalitis. Complications are more common and more severe in people with a chronic illness and very young children.

• Read Communicable Diseases Network Australia guidelines

Notification

Pathology laboratories

• Notification criteria for pathology laboratories (PDF, 55kB)
• Communications (notification procedure)

Attending medical practitioners/medical superintendents (or delegates)

To immediately notify the Public Health Unit of suspected, probable or confirmed cases of measles by telephone or fax.

• Case definition
• Communications (notification procedure)

Notification resources

• List of all Pathological, clinical and provisional diagnosis notifiable conditions
• List of Public Health Unit contacts
• Notifiable conditions report form for Queensland doctors/clinicians (PHA S70) or person in charge of a Hospital (PHA S71) (PDF, 77KB) - if faxing notification, follow up by phone.

Enhanced surveillance for public health units

• Case report form (PDF, 327KB) - used by public health units to collect and manage more detailed information for enhanced case surveillance.
• Supplementary form (PDF, 254KB) - used by public health units to collect and manage more detailed information for secondary measles case enhanced surveillance.

• Flowchart (PDF, 83kB) - quick reference chart for immediate management of measles.

Immunisation

• Immunisation – Queensland Health website for health professionals.

• Australian immunisation handbook - provides clinical guidelines for health professionals on the safest and most effective use of vaccines in their practice.

To order Normal Human Immunoglobulin (NHIg) for Public Health Response Activities

1. Complete the NHIg Order Form | National Blood Authority and email to BloodNetkelvingrove@redcrossblood.org.au or fax to 07 3838 9400.
2. After you have submitted the form you will need to phone 07 3838 9010 (24 hours) to advise the request is urgent for a public health response.

Please note:
If the GP is already a National Blood Authority (NBA) approved Australian Health Provider (AHP), the completion of the required NHIG for public health purposes form should enable timely delivery of NHIg.

Public Health Units are required to advise Lifeblood of public health urgency so that NHIg can be provided to non-NBA approved GPs ASAP. Lifeblood will then liaise with the GP to seek retrospective NBA approval.

Training

• Measles recognition and public health management – presentation by Dr Brad McCall and Dr Michael Nissen.

Related information

• Download Emergency departments measles alert (PDF, 299kB)
• Download Emergency departments measles poster (PDF, 225kB)
• Download General practitioners measles alert (PDF, 361kB)
• Download Pathology services measles alert (PDF, 309kB)
• Download Pathology services measles poster (PDF, 223kB)

• View communicable diseases data for notifiable conditions in Queensland.