Sydney International Airport identified as measles exposure site in new alert - Sky News Australia

Sydney has been issued another measles alert in just weeks after the latest infection of a baby returned from overseas.

NSW Health on Friday urged Western Sydney residents to be on the lookout for symptoms of the infection and listed a number of community exposure sites. 

The infant was said to have contracted measles in Vietnam, before flying to Sydney and visiting five locations over a period of almost two weeks. 

Passengers on flight VJ085 from Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney, which flew in to the international terminal about 8am on March 2, have been advised to monitor for symptoms, along with anyone who was at the airport between 8am and 10am.

The baby then visited Rhodes Waterside shopping centre on the same day between 11am and 12.45pm, and on March 8 between 12.30pm and 1.10pm.

The Children's Hospital at Westmead was also identified as a location of risk for anyone who visited between March 8 and March 13.

Its emergency department was an exposure site specifically for the period of 10.30pm on March 5 to 12.30am on March 6, and 2.30am on March 6 to 2.15pm that afternoon. 

Any members of the community who may have visited the listed locations may have been exposed to measles and should monitor for symptoms until March 31, although NSW Health says there is no ongoing risk to the public. 

"It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear following exposure to a person with measles. Anyone who develops symptoms should see their GP and call ahead to make sure they are not put in the waiting room with other patients," Director of the Public Health Unit at Western Sydney Local Health District Dr Catherine Bateman said. 

"Measles is highly infectious and anyone born during or after 1966 needs to make sure they have received two doses of measles vaccine to be properly protected."

NSW Health said the infected baby was too young to be vaccinated. Infants from six months of age, however, can be given an MMR dose before travelling overseas. 

Measles remains a common cause of death in children under five in some parts of the world, although in Australia, immunisation has made fatal cases rare.

The highly contagious viral disease can cause serious complications in people who remain unvaccinated and those born post 1966 who do not have two documented doses.

Symptoms typically include fever, sore eyes, runny nose, and a cough, followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head to the rest of the body.

The onset period is usually 10 days from contraction but symptoms can sometimes take as few as seven or as many as 18 days to appear. 

Transmission can occur rapidly through the air when an infectious person coughs or sneezes.

Measles outbreaks are currently occurring in large parts of the world, with most cases recorded in central, south, and far east Asia, along with Africa and the United States. Travellers should check they are protected against measles before heading overseas. 

Some NSW residents may be eligible for a free vaccine dose. Information can be viewed here. 

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2024-03-16 03:35:58Z
CBMi0wFodHRwczovL3d3dy5za3luZXdzLmNvbS5hdS9hdXN0cmFsaWEtbmV3cy9tZWFzbGVzLWFsZXJ0LWZvci13ZXN0ZXJuLXN5ZG5leS1hZnRlci1uZXctY2FzZS1yZWNvcmRlZC1pbi1pbmZhbnQtdHJhdmVsbGVyLXJldHVybmVkLWZyb20tb3V0YnJlYWstaG90c3BvdC1pbi1zb3V0aGVhc3QtYXNpYS9uZXdzLXN0b3J5L2ZjYzlkMDZlZjMxMDMyNjAyYTkzZDg2NDllYjAzNTlm0gEA

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