Measles health alert issued in two states
Two cities and three airports are under a measles cloud as a young man is treated for the infectious disease in a Melbourne hospital.
The teenager boarded an aircraft at Brisbane Airport on Thursday morning, before catching a connecting flight to Canberra, which set him en route to the Victorian capital.
After arriving in Melbourne, the man caught a shuttle bus from the airport to Nomads All National Hostel on Spencer Street, where he stayed until Sunday.
He also attended a 7-Eleven on Spencer Street last Friday and the Chemist Warehouse on Bourke Street the following day.
The man earlier visited Coles Marketplace and checked in at Brisbane Backpacker Resort last Tuesday, where he stayed until flying out of the city.
The ACT has also issued a measles warning because the man was at Canberra Airport for up to an hour.
Victoria’s latest measles case is unrelated to a woman who attended the Melbourne Formula One GP while infectious with the disease.
But it comes as Queensland health authorities confirmed on Monday a case of a man with measles who visited a number of public spots across Brisbane from March 13 to March 21.
The man was at the Sportsman Hotel, the Ferny Grove train line, Fitness First gym on Elizabeth Street, as well as Palace Cinemas and Discount Drug Stores in Fortitude Valley.
Victoria’s chief health officer Brett Sutton said the cases are a timely reminder for people to ensure they are vaccinated.
“Anyone who is unvaccinated is at highest risk of contracting measles,” he said, adding that people need two doses of vaccine to be fully protected.
The disease is highly infectious and symptoms include fever, a severe cough, conjunctivitis and coryza, followed by a rash starting on the face.
Measles patients can be infectious roughly five days before and four days after the rash appears.
Do you have a story tip? Email: y7newsroom@yahoo7.com.au.
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter and stay up to date with the latest news with Yahoo7’s daily newsletter. Sign up here.
