Health authorities have issued an urgent warning after a one-year-old Adelaide boy was diagnosed with measles.
The one-year-old had just returned from abroad with his family and is recovering in hospital in a stable condition.
Health officials in South Australia were notified about the infected child, who had traveled to the state on a flight from Sydney.
Before that, the boy had been in Dubai and arrived in the country on flight EK416 bound for Sydney on June 11.
From there, the boy and his family traveled to Adelaide from Sydney on flight QF749 the same day.
Health authorities have issued an urgent warning after a one-year-old boy who traveled via Dubai and Sydney to Adelaide was diagnosed with measles (file image)
He was at Adelaide Airport on June 11, before visiting the SA Pathology and Benson Radiology clinic at Modbury Hospital on June 13 and surgery at Salisbury Downs on June 14.
The boy also visited the Women’s and Children’s Hospital on June 15.
“SA Health advises anyone who is not fully vaccinated, and particularly those who were in the locations at the times listed below, to be alert for symptoms over the coming weeks and to consult a doctor if they become ill.” , states a statement from Said SA Salud.
Due to the highly contagious nature of the disease, officials recommend anyone who is not fully immunized to watch for symptoms in the coming weeks.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that is caused by a virus and infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body.
Symptoms include cough, high fever, runny nose, and a large rash all over the body.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that is caused by a virus and infects the respiratory tract, then spreads throughout the body (file image)
The disease can affect anyone, but it is most frequently seen in children, so vaccination is recommended as the best way to avoid getting sick or infecting other people.
Before the measles vaccine in 1963, major epidemics occurred about every two to three years and killed about 2.6 million people each year.
This is the sixth recorded case of the disease in South Australia this year, while only three cases were recorded last year. Officials say most measles cases in Australia come from overseas visitors or people returning without two doses of the vaccine.
