THE Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) recently updated advice to recommend that infants aged six to 11 months should receive an additional dose of a measles-containing vaccine (the MMR vaccine) when travelling overseas.
The update, which was flagged in a statement from chief medical officer Professor Michael Kidd, comes as measles cases continue to occur, mostly in people who have travelled overseas, with numbers tripling in 2025 relative to 2024.
Measles outbreaks have been reported in popular tourist destinations, including Bali, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, the Philippines, Malaysia and India.
Where an infant aged under 12 months receives an MMR dose before travelling overseas, the dose needs to be repeated.
They should receive the next dose of MMR vaccine at 12 months of age or four weeks after the first dose, whichever is later, with the final dose at 18 months of age as routinely recommended.
Vaccination is also recommended for adolescents who have not received two doses and people born in 1966 or after who have not received two doses.
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