An urgent health warning has been issued after a traveller with measles landed in Melbourne and visited a busy McDonalds and several busy shops along the Great Ocean Road.
The returning traveller was contagious and arrived from overseas on Tuesday, June 25, before visiting a McDonalds near the airport, toy stores and grocery stores in south-west Victoria.
This is the 11th case of measles in Victoria this year.
Measles is a highly contagious viral disease that is spread from person to person and can cause rare but serious complications, including pneumonia and brain inflammation.
Anyone who has been in the same stores as the traveler is urged to watch for symptoms for the next two weeks.
Anyone born during or after 1966 who does not have documented evidence of having received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine, or has no documented evidence of immunity, is at risk for measles.
Unvaccinated babies are at especially high risk of getting measles.
Unvaccinated babies are most at risk. Image: iStock
Possible places of exposure, movements of the infected person:
June 24 – Departed from Singapore Changi Airport at 8:10 pm
June 25 – Arrival Melbourne International AirportTerminal 2 at 5:25 am
June 25th – McDonalds173 Mickleham Road, Westmeadows (near the airport), 7am to 9am.
June 25th – CabbagesColac from 11:00 to 12:00
June 26th – Warrnambool Toy Worldfrom 3:00 p.m. to 3:50 p.m.
June 27th – Friendly shopkeeperPort Campbell, 11:00 a.m. to 11:40 a.m.
June 28th – Port Campbell HotelPort Campbell, 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
June 28th – Friendly shopkeeperPort Campbell, 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
The Victorian Department of Health issued the warning on Wednesday, June 3.
The virus spreads through droplets, contact with secretions from the nose or throat, as well as contaminated surfaces and objects.
The measles virus can remain in the environment for up to two hours.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that can be prevented by the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella. Photo: Yuri Dyachyshyn / AFP
Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, sore or red eyes, runny nose, and malaise, followed by a red rash.
The rash usually begins on the face before spreading to the rest of the body. Symptoms may appear seven to 18 days after exposure, the health department warns.
Measles outbreaks have recently been reported in Asia (including Indonesia and India), Africa, Europe, the United Kingdom, the Middle East, and the United States.