NSW has recorded 13 measles cases since December 1, 2025, with four confirmed in the past week, and authorities reported 60 confirmed cases in the state between January 1, 2025, and March 7, 2026. The latest alert involves a person who moved through multiple Manly locations on a single day while unknowingly infectious.
The individual visited Henry G's Wine Parlour, JB & Sons Restaurant, and Donny's Bar on Sunday, with authorities adding a 30-minute buffer to each exposure time and advising patrons to monitor for symptoms for 18 days. What distinguishes this case is its origin: the person had no known contact with any other measles cases and did not attend any previously identified exposure sites, prompting concern the virus is already circulating in the community.
The risk of community transmission reflects a deeper vulnerability. Australia's measles vaccination rate for two-year-olds is at 91.2 per cent, according to federal government data, below the 92-94 per cent national coverage target to achieve herd immunity. More alarming, post-COVID, Department of Health figures show that the number of fully-vaccinated one-year-olds has dropped as low as 80 per cent in some parts of the country.
The state's broader measles situation is driven largely by international travel. Of the 60 cases recorded from January 2025 to March 2026, 34 contracted measles overseas, including 32 people who traveled to countries in Southeast Asia. Another 18 of the cases reported in NSW were linked to a person known to have acquired measles overseas, with the remaining eight cases having no known source of infection.
Experts point to multiple factors behind the rising caseload. An ANU epidemiologist noted that misinformation and disinformation about vaccine safety had affected coverage rates as parents relied on social media as a source of information. A University of Sydney professor of infectious diseases stated issues mostly relate to access rather than disinformation, with the vaccine free but the cost of seeing a doctor and difficulty attending clinics presenting barriers, alongside knowledge gaps and vaccine doubts.
The vaccination decline is not uniform across the country. For the second dose of MMR vaccine assessed at 24 months of age, only 11.5 per cent of local areas in Australia achieved coverage above the 95 per cent target. Immunity gaps are much greater in some parts of Australia such as the north coast of New South Wales and the Gold Coast in Queensland.
Measles itself poses real danger. About one in 1,000 to one in 10,000 cases leads to severe complications, which could include nasty pneumonia or brain inflammation and swelling that can lead to death or permanent disability. The virus is so infectious that exposure after an infected person has left a location, even up to a few hours afterwards, can result in infection.
NSW Health advises that anyone born after 1965 needs two doses of measles vaccine, and the MMR vaccine is safe, effective, and provided free for children at 12 and 18 months of age and for anyone born after 1965 who has not had two doses. Access to vaccination information is available through the NSW Health measles exposure locations page and the Australian Centre for Disease Control.
The Manly exposure reinforces a hard reality: until vaccination coverage returns to historic highs, imported cases will continue to pose the risk of local spread. Health authorities stress that those at higher risk, including pregnant people and immunocompromised individuals, should contact their local Public Health Unit if they were in the affected venues during the relevant times.