Australian travellers are being advised to confirm their vaccination status before going overseas, amid a rise in global measles cases that is contributing to local outbreaks.
Health authorities have identified international travel as the primary source of new infections, with several regions reporting significant spikes.
Zoom Travel Insurance noted data from 2025 indicating that measles cases in the Americas have risen more than 11-fold compared to the same period last year. Europe is experiencing its highest case numbers in over two decades.
In Australia, 54 measles cases have been reported this year – nearly matching the 2024 total – with New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia seeing the highest concentrations.
Natasha Sullivan, marketing manager at Zoom Travel Insurance, said that rising international transmission underscores the need for travellers to be immunised.
“With the sudden outbreak of measles, travellers should ensure they are sufficiently vaccinated, particularly when travelling in parts of the world experiencing high transmission of measles. Unvaccinated travellers are at very high risk of measles exposure and transmission. Additionally, those who fail to vaccinate could face significant medical bills should they fall ill overseas,” she said.
She added that the nature of the virus increases the urgency of taking preventative steps.
“The measles virus is extremely contagious, and complications can lead to severe symptoms,” Sullivan said. “Unvaccinated travellers face all manner of health risks along with thousands of dollars in medical fees, not to mention lost travel expenses.”
Although routine vaccination rates in Australia remain relatively high, health professionals continue to encourage people with travel plans to consult their GPs to confirm coverage, particularly those born between 1966 and 1994 due to changes in immunisation schedules during that period.
While most standard travel insurance policies include coverage for medical treatment due to illnesses like measles, Sullivan cautioned that certain conditions could limit that protection.
“Travel insurance will generally cover you in the event that you contract measles before or during your trip; however, epidemics or pandemics are usually excluded from cover,” she said. “Once a travel warning is out there and ‘known’ it would be too late to get cover for that event.”
However, Sullivan emphasised that insurance still plays an important role in managing other potential issues.
“In the event that a travel warning was released that affected your coverage, it’s worth being mindful that travel insurance is still very useful for a whole range of reasons. For instance, you would still be entitled to claim on luggage, cancellation, and medical expenses unrelated to the travel warning,” she said.
The health advisory aligns with insights from the 2025 Allianz Partners Travel Index, which found that 82% of surveyed Australians intending to travel plan to purchase insurance.
The survey, based on responses from 1,000 adults, showed medical emergencies were the top concern (49%), followed by unexpected financial shortfalls (45%) and travel disruptions (43%).
It also found that Australians aged 18 to 34 are nearly twice as likely to spend over $10,000 on travel compared to older age groups. However, this demographic also reported greater concern about managing finances while abroad.
