Health authorities are warning residents on the Gold Coast and Brisbane to be on alert for measles after infected Aussies attended a packed Jelly Roll concert, Sea World and two major hospitals.
Queensland Health issued a measles alert on Wednesday evening after an infected person visited two Brisbane hospitals, while three infected people attended a Jelly Roll concert at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre.
Another case was confirmed at a special event at Sea World late last month.
The concert took place on Friday, October 24, with the infectious cases spending time on the Gold Coast, Brisbane and Wide Bay while contagious.
An infected person in Brisbane spent time at St Vincent’s Private Hospital and North West Private Hospital on Saturday, November 8.
The person was at St Vincent’s between 8am and 12pm and at North West between 12pm and 1pm.
The case at Sea World, on the Gold Coast, attended a ‘Spooky Nights’ event on Friday, October 24, between 6:30pm and 9pm.
Park-goers who were there at the time are being urged to monitor for symptoms.
People who went to a ‘Spooky Nights’ event on Friday, October 24, at Sea World (pictured) have been warned to watch out signs of the virus
Measles (pictured) is a highly-infectious virus that tends to develop about ten days after a patient is exposed
Health officials also said there had been more cases in central Queensland and the West Moreton regions in the past week, taking cases of the disease in Queensland to 30 this year.
Measles is a highly-infectious virus that can lead to serious illness and even death.
It tends to develop about ten days after a patient is exposed to the virus, but it can vary from one week to 18 days.
Symptoms can include a fever, tiredness, runny nose, cough, sore red eyes and a red blotchy rash, which usually appears three to four days later than other symptoms.
Serious problems, including blindness and swelling of the brain, are more common in young children and adults over 30.
People should understand that droplets in the air can still infect people entering a room up to 30 minutes after an infected person has left it.
People born after 1965 are urged to make sure they have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine at some stage in their life.
The first dose of the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine is typically given at 12 months but babies as young as six months can receive it prior to travel to certain countries.
Three infected people also attended a Jelly Roll concert at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre
Australia has largely eliminated endemic measles but cases continue to arise, mostly from people who have travelled overseas.
Just one infected person can spread the disease to nine out of 10 unprotected people they come into close contact with.
The vaccine provides 97 per cent protection after two doses. There have been at least 52 cases of measles recorded in Western Australia this year alone.
