Travellers at Sydney Airport have been urged to watch for signs and symptoms of measles after a person infectious with the disease disembarked from an international flight to Sydney before transferring to a domestic flight to the Gold Coast.
NSW Health issued the alert on Friday for all passengers inside Sydney Airport’s international terminal from 4.30pm to 6.30pm, and anyone inside domestic terminal 3 from 6.30pm to 9pm on Friday, January 17.
The passenger arrived in Sydney on Jetstar flight JQ4 from Honolulu at 4.30pm, before transferring by bus to the domestic terminal and boarding the 9.30pm Qantas flight QF596 to the Gold Coast.
While there is no ongoing risk of infection at any of the locations, anyone on those flights or transiting through either terminal should be on the lookout for symptoms for at least another 10 days, said NSW Health director of the communicable diseases branch, Dr Christine Selvey.
Affected flights and terminals:
- Jetstar flight JQ4 from Honolulu arriving at Sydney Airport at 4.29pm on Friday, January 17.
- Qantas flight QF596 from Sydney to Gold Coast departing from Sydney T3 at 9.03pm on Friday, January 17.
- Sydney Airport’s international terminal from 4.30pm to 6.30pm on Friday, January 17.
- Bus from Sydney Airport’s international terminal to the T3 domestic terminal between 5.30pm and 6.30pm on Friday, January 17.
- Sydney Airport’s T3 domestic terminal from 6.30pm to 9pm on Friday, January 17.
“Symptoms to watch out for include fever, runny nose, sore eyes and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head and face to the rest of the body,” she said.
“It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure, so it’s important for people who visited these locations to look out for symptoms up until Tuesday, 4 February.”
Selvey said the alert should be a reminder for everyone in the community to check that they are up to date with vaccinations, which can prevent the disease even after exposure if received early.
“This is especially important before overseas travel, as measles outbreaks are occurring in several regions of the world at the moment,” Selvey said.
The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is free for children at 12 and 18 months of age, and anyone born after 1965 who hasn’t already had two doses.
Children under 12 months can have their first dose earlier if they are travelling to areas with a high risk of contracting measles.
NSW Health issued another measles alert on Thursday for anyone who visited Family Doctors, Berala Pharmacy or 4Cyte Pathology in Berala, in Sydney’s west, between 10am and 11.15am on January 18.
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