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Decades ago, measles was a routine part of childhood until Australia eliminated the highly-contagious virus through a vaccination campaign. So why are we now seeing the return of it and other preventable childhood diseases?
Health authorities are concerned by rising cases of diseases once considered uncommon in Australia. Contracting a case of measles and enduring the fever, cough, sore eyes and characteristic red rash was a common part of growing up before vaccination was introduced.
The disease was so rampant in Australia that anyone born before the late 1960s is thought to be immune, as it's likely they've already had the disease as a child. Since then, Australia has eliminated the highly-contagious virus through a vaccination campaign and has held the status ofAAustralia is also experiencing the , with the cases predominantly among Indigenous people in outer regional and remote areas across four states and territories.
, meaning there is no ongoing local transmission within the population, although cases can still be brought in from overseas. After decades of effective vaccination, childhood diseases once considered to be things of the past are rebounding.
South Australia's latest outbreak was sparked by the return of a traveller who contracted the disease overseas and had since spread it to three other students and an adult in their 40s, who was hospitalised, within the Brighton Secondary School community.spent more than 24 hours at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital's emergency department. According to SA's Chief Public Health Officer Nicola Spurrier, it was a "disappointing" development but not altogether surprising given anti-vaccination misinformation.
Professor Nicola Spurrier says she has seen children die from vaccine preventable diseases during her time as a junior registrar.
"I have seen our vaccination rates year on year since the pandemic starting to drop … I see what information is being provided in other forms other than the science," Professor Spurrier told the ABC. "In my past practice when I was a junior registrar, I'd see little ones die from these infectious diseases and it's always been so wonderful when we'd get new vaccines.
"Adelaide University professor and epidemiologist Adrian Esterman said measles vaccine access was also a contributing factor to the sliding rates. "It's things like parents being very busy, trouble getting to see the GP, I think it's more things like that rather than people hesitating to get their children vaccinated," Professor Esterman said. "Canada has now lost its measles-free status, the UK has lost its measles-free status, the USA is almost certainly going to be losing it shortly," he said.
"I hope we don't lose ours, it's not likely at the moment, but it's something that we don't want to see. " Epidemiologist Adrian Esterman says decades ago, the diseases were regarded as "absolute killers" in Australia.
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