Director of public health launches awareness campaign after person falls ill with virus in Leichhardt
A public health alert for measles has been issued after one person contracted the highly infectious virus in Sydney’s inner west.
Sydney local health district’s director of public health, Leena Gupta, said measles is “very contagious” among those who are not fully immunised and is spread through coughing and sneezing.
“The first symptoms that people get are fever, tiredness, a cough and a runny nose, so very general symptoms,” she said.
“A few days later they get a rash that starts on the face and spreads over the body.”
The health authority is urging anyone who has visited Leichhardt MarketPlace, Norton Plaza or the library during the past 10 days to be aware of the symptoms after an infected person visited these venues many times between 15 July and 24 July.
Gupta said the person is now well, but would not provide further details.
All children are routinely immunised against measles, in conjunction with mumps and rubella (German measles), in a vaccine commonly known as MMR.
Children receive the first immunisation dose of MMR at 12 months and the second dose at 18 months.
Gupta said those at risk of infection are people born in 1966 or later and who have never had measles and not had two doses of the vaccine.