New measles alert after NSW teen visits Dreamworld in Gold Coast

A TEEN from one of Australia's lowest-vaccinated regions has triggered a new measles scare after visiting a Gold Coast theme park on school holidays.

A 13-year-old from Byron Bay has triggered a new measles alert after attending Dreamworld during the school holidays.

The boy, from one of the lowest-vaccinated regions in Australia, caught measles during a trip to Bali and attended the Gold Coast theme park on October 2 before being diagnosed with the highly contagious virus.

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Queensland Health Communicable Diseases Unit acting senior director Stephen Lambert said he was concerned about the risks to other people who attended Dreamworld on the same day.

``It was school holidays, a busy time, lots of people with young children, all potentially exposed,'' he said.

The teenage boy is one of at least five people, including four West Australian travellers, who have recently returned from Bali with measles.

Dr Lambert said their infection should encourage people to ensure their vaccinations were up to date before travelling.

He said he was particularly worried about unvaccinated school leavers, given potentially thousands of Australian students will be heading to Bali for Schoolies' week celebrations.

Since August, 16 people have contracted measles in southeast Queensland, most of them in Ipswich, west of Brisbane.

Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young has taken the extraordinary step of writing to the parents of more than 13,000 four to six year olds who are not fully vaccinated, urging them to immunise their children.

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