Measles outbreak Sydney: Two more cases identified
MEASLES have struck again — this time in Sydney’s west and southwest. And anyone who visited the Children’s Hospital at Westmead or two general practices in Fairfield and Liverpool in the last week should be alert to the symptoms.
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MEASLES have struck again — this time in Sydney’s west and southwest.
Anyone who visited the Children’s Hospital at Westmead or two general practices in Fairfield and Liverpool in the last week should be alert to the symptoms.
Two infants developed measles shortly after returning from South Asia. They are now isolated in hospital and responding to treatment.
That brings the March statistics to four across the state. All of them caught their infection while visiting one of several Asian countries, including Pakistan, India and The Philippines.
In the Western Sydney Local Health District alone, 2014 and 2017 were the worst for measles cases, with 10 each.
In the South Western Sydney Local Health District, there were seven cases in 2017 but the bulk of all measles cases since 2014 have been in people aged five and older.
The infants visited:
Dr DYK Tan’s Surgery, Harris St, Fairfield on Monday, March 23 from 1pm to 3pm
Liverpool Medical Centre, Moore St, Liverpool on Monday, March 26 from 3.30pm to 6pm
The Children’s Hospital Westmead emergency department on Monday, March 26 from 6.30pm to 10am and Hunter Baillie Ward on the same day at 10pm until Wednesday, March 28 at 4pm.
NSW Health communicable diseases director Vicky Sheppeard said public health units were contacting people who were in contact with the infants to offer preventive injections.
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.
Measles is highly contagious and is spread in the air via a cough or sneeze.
The time from exposure to the onset of symptoms is about 10 days but can be as long as 18 days, so people should remain alert of the symptoms until April 16.
Dr Sheppeard said children under 12 months are most susceptible to measles because they’re too young to be vaccinated.
“People in the 20-40 year age bracket may have missed out on the full vaccination program for measles, which was changed in 1998, including a national school-based catch up.
“Vaccination is your best protection against this extremely contagious disease.”
Dr Sheppeard said the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is free for those aged one to 52 from their GP.
“If you are unsure whether you have had two doses, it is quite safe to have another dose,” she said.