Reduce the risk of measles

Guidance on reducing the spread of measles in Early Childhood Education and Care settings.

Measles is a highly infectious viral disease and presents a significant risk to children in early childhood education and care settings. The way that children interact with each other and with adults in education and care services means that diseases can quickly spread. Cases are rising globally and in Australia, with 2025 seeing the highest numbers since 2019, driven by lower vaccination coverage, according to the Australian Centre for Disease Control.

It’s therefore more important than ever that the early childhood sector takes a proactive, compliance-driven approach to protect children, families and staff.

Regulatory obligation

Victorian services must comply with the No Jab, No Play requirements, maintain accurate immunisation records and support families to stay informed. Services must remain vigilant in checking vaccination status and following Department of Health advice. For more information about measles outbreaks in Victoria, including exposure sites, visit the Department of Health’s Health alerts and advisories.

Children’s enrolment records

The approved provider must ensure that an enrolment record is kept for each child enrolled at the service that includes:

  • the immunisation status of the child
  • a notation that a child health record has been sighted
  • a current immunisation history statement from the parent that shows the child is up to date with all the immunisations due for their age, or
  • details of an exemption.

When enrolling children, services must record when the child will need updates to their vaccinations to ensure they are kept current.

Managing measles

If a child develops symptoms consistent with measles, services must take the following actions in line with regulatory obligations:

  • do not allow the child to attend the service and ensure they are excluded immediately if already in care
  • advise parents/carers to seek urgent medical assessment and testing
  • inform parents/carers that children with suspected or confirmed measles must not attend early childhood education and care services from symptom onset until at least 4 days after the onset of the rash, or until medically cleared
  • follow all relevant notification requirements and seek advice from the Department of Health where required
  • services should review vaccination records at least once a year to identify children who are not up to date and follow up with their parents or carers to update their records.

Find out more

For more information, refer to:

Updated

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