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# Measles rebounds in young children after decades of global decline
- URL: https://www.bushletter.com/measles-cases-in-under-fives-up-40-per-cent-since-covid/
- Published: 2026-10-23T01:30:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T01:29:59.000Z
- Description: The study tracks estimated infections worldwide. Australian vaccination coverage for one-year-olds has fallen to 91.54 per cent, below the national target.
- Author: Bushletter Newsroom
- Tags: Science, Health, Australia

TLDR

Estimated measles cases in children under five rose 40 per cent worldwide from 2019 to 2023 as vaccination slipped after COVID-19, a University of Queensland study found. In Australia, coverage for one-year-olds has fallen to 91.54 per cent.

## A global rebound

Estimated measles cases in children under five rose 40 per cent worldwide between 2019 and 2023, from 11.1 million to 15.6 million, a University of Queensland study has found.[\[1\]](https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-10-childhood-measles-vaccination-rates-fall-worldwide-post-covid-19?ref=bushletter.com) The study, published in Nature Medicine, covered 204 countries and territories from 1990 to 2023.[\[2\]](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04661-7?ref=bushletter.com)

Associate Professor Benn Sartorius of UQ's Frazer Institute said childhood measles vaccination rates had gone backwards since COVID-19\. "This has contributed to a global resurgence of measles in young children," he said.[\[1\]](https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-10-childhood-measles-vaccination-rates-fall-worldwide-post-covid-19?ref=bushletter.com)

He said the rise reversed a nearly 80 per cent fall in measles cases worldwide between 1990 and 2019.[\[1\]](https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-10-childhood-measles-vaccination-rates-fall-worldwide-post-covid-19?ref=bushletter.com)

## Missed doses

An estimated 23.7 million infants missed their first measles dose in 2023.[\[1\]](https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-10-childhood-measles-vaccination-rates-fall-worldwide-post-covid-19?ref=bushletter.com) Sub-Saharan Africa accounted for half of those missed doses and South Asia for 20 per cent, Sartorius said.[\[1\]](https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-10-childhood-measles-vaccination-rates-fall-worldwide-post-covid-19?ref=bushletter.com)

Two childhood doses of measles vaccine are estimated to have prevented nearly 59 million deaths between 2000 and 2024, he said.[\[1\]](https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-10-childhood-measles-vaccination-rates-fall-worldwide-post-covid-19?ref=bushletter.com)

## Australia's position

Australasia had the highest second-dose coverage of any region in 2023, with an estimated 96 per cent of children under five receiving their second dose.[\[1\]](https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-10-childhood-measles-vaccination-rates-fall-worldwide-post-covid-19?ref=bushletter.com)

National figures show a slide. Coverage for one-year-olds is 91.54 per cent and for five-year-olds 93.17 per cent, both below the government's aspirational target.[\[3\]](https://www.health.gov.au/topics/immunisation/immunisation-data/childhood-immunisation-coverage?ref=bushletter.com)

Coverage at 12 months has dropped 4.3 percentage points since 2020, and at 24 months it was below 90 per cent in 2025, the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance said.[\[4\]](https://ncirs.org.au/immunisation-coverage-data-and-reports/annual-immunisation-coverage-report-2025-summary?ref=bushletter.com)

"We hope the data from our study will be used to target catch-up vaccination efforts and strengthen immunisation where support is needed most," Sartorius said.[\[1\]](https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-10-childhood-measles-vaccination-rates-fall-worldwide-post-covid-19?ref=bushletter.com)

KEY TAKEAWAYS

01Cases in under-fives rose from 11.1 million in 2019 to 15.6 million in 2023.

02The study, in Nature Medicine, covered 204 countries and territories.

03An estimated 23.7 million infants missed their first dose in 2023.

04Australasia had the highest second-dose coverage of any region in 2023.

05Australian coverage for one-year-olds is 91.54 per cent, below the national target.

SOURCES & CITATIONS

1. [Childhood measles vaccination rates fall worldwide post COVID-19, University of Queensland](https://news.uq.edu.au/2026-10-childhood-measles-vaccination-rates-fall-worldwide-post-covid-19?ref=bushletter.com)
2. [Global and regional burden of measles and vaccine coverage among children under 5 years, 1990-2023, Nature Medicine](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-026-04661-7?ref=bushletter.com)
3. [Childhood immunisation coverage, Australian Government Department of Health](https://www.health.gov.au/topics/immunisation/immunisation-data/childhood-immunisation-coverage?ref=bushletter.com)
4. [Annual immunisation coverage report 2025 summary, NCIRS](https://ncirs.org.au/immunisation-coverage-data-and-reports/annual-immunisation-coverage-report-2025-summary?ref=bushletter.com)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What did the study find?

Estimated measles cases in children under five rose 40 per cent worldwide, from 11.1 million in 2019 to 15.6 million in 2023, as childhood vaccination slipped after COVID-19.

How is Australia tracking?

Australasia had the highest second-dose coverage of any region in 2023, but national coverage for one-year-olds has fallen to 91.54 per cent, below the government's aspirational target.

How is measles prevented?

Two doses of measles vaccine in childhood are the most effective way to prevent the disease, Associate Professor Benn Sartorius said.