Tasmanian health authorities have issued an alert over a measles case. They issued a statement revealing that a woman who travelled to Devonport on the Spirit of Tasmania on Monday has been diagnosed with the infectious disease. She was one of four people to contract measles while on board an Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur to Melbourne.
According to Deputy Director of Public Health, Dr Chrissie Pickin, the 26 year old woman visited the emergency department of the North West Regional Hospital in Burnie on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday this week. Dr Pickin says anyone who may have visited the hospital or who travelled on the Spirit of Tasmania should be on the lookout for measles symptoms which include fever, sore red eyes and a cough.
Measles is an infectious viral disease and can be serious, especially in infants. The illness usually begins with symptoms such as tiredness, a runny nose, a cough, sore red eyes and then a fever. After a few days a red blotchy rash appears, usually starting on the face, and then spreads to the rest of the body. “Please contact your GP or hospital before going to let them know that you think you have measles. And keep away from other people as much as you can to reduce the possibility of spreading measles to others,” Dr. Pickin said. Dr Pickin said people with measles are normally contagious from about a day before the symptoms begin until four days after the rash appears. The time from exposure to becoming sick is usually about 10 days, she said. “Because of the incubation period for the disease, further measles cases could emerge in Tasmania over the Easter period, in particular between 18 and 29 April,” Dr Pickin said.
The department has set up a hotline for people who may have had contact with the woman. The number is 1800 671 738.
Understanding measles and the role of vaccination