Fresh measles alert for Sydney after infectious case

A measles alert has been issued in Sydney after an infectious man visited from Queensland.

Testing a measles vaccination needle in Sydney.

A measles alert has been issued in NSW after an infectious man spent four days in Sydney while on holiday from Queensland’s Gold Coast.

Meanwhile the NSW Labor opposition is calling for hand sanitisers to be placed in public spaces to help stop the spread of the flu.

The Queensland man, aged in his 40s, was infectious while travelling on Tiger Airways flight TT609 on June 29 and then a train to Circular Quay, NSW Health said on Saturday.

He spent time in Circular Quay, including a stop at Cafe Rossini and a ferry to Manly with a stop at Blue Water Cafe and back that day.

On Sunday, he spent the day with visitors in Sydney before travelling around the city again on Monday, with a trip on public transport from Berowra to Wynyard station and a day spent at The Rocks Discovery Museum, The Australian Hotel and a Starbucks near Hyde Park.

The man caught a train from Central Station to the airport on Tuesday morning and Jetstar flight JQ420 back to the Gold Coast.

It is believed he acquired the measles while in Thailand.

NSW Health urged anyone who may have been in contact with the man to be alert for symptoms of the disease, which can take up to 18 days to appear.

Measles symptoms include fever, sore eyes and a cough followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash, NSW Health says.

Despite the high numbers of people being diagnosed with measles, a recent report has shown vaccination rates in NSW are at their highest levels, with more than 95 per cent of five-year-olds vaccinated.

More than 40 people have been diagnosed with measles in NSW since Christmas.

NSW Health has also released data showing 66 confirmed influenza deaths in the six months to June 30.

Of them, 26 were in residential care facilities and among people with other significant health issues.

State Labor’s acting health spokesman Walt Secord called on the Berejiklian government to put hand sanitisers in public places such as shopping malls and sporting venues to help limit the spread of the flu.

“Make no mistake, this is the worst flu season on record,” he said in a statement on Saturday.

A NSW Health spokesman said measures were in place to limit the spread of the flu, with the state having one of the biggest uptakes of vaccination across the country.

“We have the fastest flu testing available in the country and every week we are updating our flu messaging and encouraging people to get their vaccinations,” he told AAP on Saturday.

NSW Health communicable diseases director Vicky Sheppeard urged NSW residents to get vaccinated, insisting it’s the best protection against the flu. “It is not too late to get vaccinated … so please take advantage of the free jab,” she said in a statement.

AAP