Measles outbreaks were common before 1966

Before the vaccine was introduced in 1966, the disease was prevalent in Australia.

"In those days, we weren't worried about it. It was just a childhood illness," said Helen, a 77-year-old from Melbourne whose son contracted measles more than 50 years ago. He was 10 months old at the time.

"He was pretty sick, it must have been in his lungs. Every time he coughed, he cried."

Helen remembers the disease making entire families sick. Her husband's family of nine all came down with the illness.

"It was the same with whopping cough," she said.

"We just accepted that kids got sick, but they usually got well again quite quickly."

Also common were measles parties, where healthy children would visit an infected child in hopes of catching the disease young, as it was generally considered to be much more serious if you caught it as an adult.

But Helen doesn't recall anyone she knew dying, nor do her friends at her local U3A.

"I asked around and one person thinks they remember someone dying of measles, but that's all.

"What you did worry about was polio and diphtheria. Everyone would hold their breath if a child had them."

A recent spike has seen 98 confirmed measles cases in Australia already this year.

And while for most people, a bout of measles usually means a few weeks of bed rest, it can lead to serious and fatal complications including pneumonia and swelling of the brain.

A NSW Health spokesperson said people born prior to 1966 were likely to have natural immunity from the disease after being infected when they were young.

"As a consequence, older people are highly unlikely to develop measles," they said.

In fact, only three people over the age of 60 have died from the illness since 2001, so it's not recommended that people born before 1966 receive a measles vaccine.

But that doesn't mean we should take the illness lightly.

"While cases remain rare, people who have severe immunosuppression due to cancer treatment or other medications may be susceptible to measles despite having had the infection as a child," the spokesperson said.

"People with these conditions who may have been exposed to measles can receive a protective injection of immunoglobulin."

Health experts urge anyone who comes into contact with someone with measles to remain alert for symptoms. They should limit their exposure to others and seek medical care if they do develop.

Symptoms include fever, sore eyes and a cough followed three or four days later by a red, spotty rash that spreads from head to toe.