Health warning: Teen and man return from South East Asia with measles symptoms
Two unrelated and unconnected people have presented to western Sydney medical centres with symptoms relating to the measles after both were travelling overseas.
Airline passengers travelling to South East Asia are being warned by NSW Health after two people have presented with measles symptoms.
The two unrelated cases involved travellers who had returned from the Philippines and Thailand, taking the total number of people diagnosed with the highly-infectious disease in NSW since last December to 23. During the same period a year before, there were only five people diagnosed in the state.
One of the patients is a teenager who returned from the Philippines and was confirmed as infectious while on flight CEBU Pacific 5J41, which left Manila at 11.30pm on March 16 and arrived in Sydney at 10.30am on March 17.
The teenager was reported to have been vaccinated as a child, although the number of doses received were not verified.
NSW Health is asking people who were on the same flight and at Sydney Airport’s T1 International terminal between 10.30am and 1.15pm to be on alert for symptoms of measles until April 5.
While infected with the disease the teen visited Pacific Chinese Restaurant at Blacktown on March 17 between 2pm and 3.15pm and Stanhope Medical and Dental Centre on March 18, between 2.45pm and 4.00pm.
The second case is of a man in his 30s who developed measles after returning to Sydney from Thailand. He was unable to provide his vaccination history.
While he was infected he visited My Health Medical Centre at Eastwood Shopping Centre. NSW Health are also suggesting people who visited the centre on Monday, March 18 between 12pm and 1pm should be alert for signs and symptoms of measles until April 5, as the time from exposure to symptoms can be up to 18 days.
Public Health Unit staff are currently working with both medical centres to contact patients who were at the practice at the same time as the teenager and man to arrange preventive treatment as required.
NSW Health Director of Communicable Diseases, Vicky Sheppeard, said while these places do not pose an ongoing risk, people who may be susceptible to measles and were at the same locations at the two infectious people, should contact their local Public Health Unit for advice.
Preventive injections can be given to highly-susceptible people up to six days after exposure.
“If you develop symptoms, please call ahead to your GP to ensure you do not wait in the waiting room with other patients,” Dr Sheppeard said.
“The measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is safe and effective protection against measles. It’s free for anyone born during or after 1966 who hasn’t already had two doses. If you’re unsure whether you’ve had two doses, it’s safe to have another.”
Symptoms include fever, sore eyes and a cough followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash spreading from the head and neck to the rest of the body.
Outbreaks of measles in popular tourist destinations, particularly the Philippines, means the risk for measles being imported into Australia remains high.
Measles is highly contagious and is spread in the air through coughing or sneezing by someone who is unwell with the disease. For more information on measles visit: health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/measles/Pages/default.aspx
To contact the Public Health Unit call 1300 066 055.
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