NSW heath authorities are warning people who have visited a suburb in Sydney’s inner west recently to be on the lookout for symptoms of measles.
According to a Facebook post from the Sydney Local Heath District, anyone who went to Leichhardt MarketPlace, Norton Plaza or the library between July 15 and 24 runs the risk of being infected.
The warning comes after an infected person visited those locations “multiple times” over the 10 day period.
Measles is spread when a person who is infected breathes, coughs or sneezes on another person. According to NSW Health, “the time from exposure to becoming sick is usually about 10 days,” but a person with measles can pass on the infection in the days before symptoms begin.
And that’s what makes it so dangerous.
If you’re worried about the spread of measles or that you – or your children – haven’t had the necessary vaccinations to fight the infection, here’s what you need to know.
The following information comes for the NSW Heath website
What are the symptoms?
Fever, tiredness, cough, runny nose, sore red eyes and feeling unwell. A few days later a rash appears. The rash starts on the face, spreads down to the body and lasts for 4-7 days. The rash is not itchy.
Up to a third of people with measles have complications. These include ear infections, diarrhoea and pneumonia, and may require hospitalisation. About one in every 1000 people with measles develops encephalitis (swelling of the brain).
How is it spread?
Measles is usually spread when a person breathes in the measles virus that has been coughed or sneezed into the air by an infectious person. Measles is one of the most easily spread of all human infections. Just being in the same room as someone with measles can result in infection.
People with measles are usually infectious from just before the symptoms begin until four days after the rash appears. The time from exposure to becoming sick is usually about 10 days. The rash usually appears around 14 days after exposure.
Who is at risk?
Measles was common before 1966, so most people born before then are immune.
People at risk of measles include:
-people born during or since 1966 who have never had measles and who have not had two doses of measles containing vaccine from the age of 12 months.
-people with a weak immune system (e.g., people who are receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy for cancer or people who take high-dose steroid medications) even if they have been fully immunised or have had past measles infection.
– people who are not immune and who travel overseas.How is it prevented?
– The best protection against measles is immunisation with two doses of MMR vaccine (measles, mumps & rubella). This vaccine provides protection against infection with measles, as well as against mumps and rubella.
Copyright Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Princess Margaret Hospital, Hong Kong
– MMR vaccine should be given to children at age 12 months and a second dose as MMRV (measles, mumps, rubella & varicella) should be given at 18 months of age.
– Anyone born during or after 1966 and who has never had measles infection or measles vaccination should see their doctor to make sure that they have had two doses of measles containing vaccine at least four weeks apart.
– It is safe to have the vaccine more than twice, so people who are unsure should be vaccinated.
– People with measles should stay at home until they are no longer infectious (i.e. until 4 days after the rash starts).
– For people who are not immune and have come into contact with a person with measles, infection can sometimes still be prevented with measles containing vaccine if given within 3 days of exposure or with immunoglobulin (a treatment made from blood that will protect against measles when injected) within 7 days of exposure.How is it diagnosed?
– Measles is suspected when a person feels unwell, has a cough, runny nose or sore eyes and a fever followed by a rash.
– Whenever measles is suspected, a blood test and samples from the nose, throat and urine should be collected to confirm the diagnosis. Confirmation of the diagnosis is important as it allows prompt public health follow-up of other people who are at risk of measles.How is it treated?
– People with measles infection are normally advised to rest, drink plenty of fluids, and take paracetamol to treat the fever. There is no specific treatment.
– While a person is infectious with measles it is important that he or she remains at home to reduce the possibility of spreading it to other people.
You can find more information via NSW Heath here.
If you’re worried you or someone close to you has measles, contact your GP immediately.
Top Comments
why is this 'thanks to anti vaxxers'- any proof that that's how it was started with this outbreak?
if you're vaccinated, you have nothing to worry about, right?
Vaccinated children can still get measles just not as bad and it's harder for them to get. It generally takes an unvaccinated person (who can very easily catch it) to bring it in and infect everyone. Vaccinations work best when everyone is vaccinated (herd immunity) and we then see things like polio die out. Put an unvaccinated person into the mix and breaks down that herd immunity. Two unvaccinated children where taken to bali last year when there was a measles outbreak, of all the Australian kids in bali at that time they where the only unvaccinated ones and the only ones that caught it and brought it back with them. They then infected several other people. If they had been vaccinated like the other children they more then likely would not have been caught measles. Herd immunity also protects those that can't be vaccinated such as new born babies, the elderly and those suffering with illness like cancer.
In all cases like this a majority of the time it's traced back to an unvaccinated source. So yes these types of outbreaks are thanks to those that don't vaccinate but also adults who don't keep their vaccinationd up to date.
First, google 'herd immunity' and learn about why anti vaxers cause diseases to come back to the community. Second, we don't have "nothing to worry about" because some of us have children under 18mths who are too young to be vaccinated. Or children with cancer who are too ill to be vaccinated. Those physically weaker tend to die from these diseases.The decision not to vaccinate can kill more people than just those who choose not to do it. The whole community is at risk.
"Vaccination is not just a personal issue, it’s a community responsibility, largely because of a concept known as “community immunity”. This describes a level of vaccination that prevents epidemics or outbreaks from taking hold and spreading.
Some people question the validity of this concept, sometimes referred to as herd immunity, but the impact of it breaking down can be easily observed in places where vaccination levels fall dangerously low – take the current measles outbreak in Wales, for example.
The other important factor about community immunity is it protects those who, for whatever reason, can’t be vaccinated or are not fully vaccinated. This includes very young children, immunocompromised people (such as cancer sufferers) and elderly people."
http://theconversation.com/...
Read and learn, for the sake of humanity, read and learn.
My kids are all fully vaccinated and my 6 year old still got a bad dose of chicken pox last year in suburban Melbourne (the more you get exposed the more likely you are to get it). I dont know about Measles, but the more people who choose not to vaccinate the more chance this disease has to spread.
A few weeks back I broke out in what my doctor said was a viral rash. As I've been vaccinated the doc didn't think it was rubella but couldn't say for sure what strain of virus it was. I'll need to have an immunity test before I decide to get pregnant but I have to trust that people around me were vaccinated because if it was a serious virus I'd been walking around with no idea before the symptoms presented! I felt awful!