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Girl arrives into Brisbane International Airport with measles

Janelle MilesThe Courier-Mail

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A public health alert has been issued after a child arrived at Brisbane International Airport with measles.

The child arrived on Qantas flight 52 from Singapore to Brisbane early on January 17 while unknowingly infected with the highly contagious virus.

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Public health experts say people who were at Brisbane International Airport from 6am to 8am on that day should be alert to measles symptoms.

The girl’s case is the second in Queensland this year after last year 74 people were diagnosed with measles in the state, the worst year since 1997.

Measles rash.
Camera IconMeasles rash. Credit: Supplied

Symptoms include a fever, runny nose, tiredness, coughing and sore red eyes, followed by a blotchy red rash.

Doctors say symptoms usually start about 10 days after contact with an infectious person, but are also known to appear between seven and 18 days after contact.

A Metro South Hospital and Health Service spokesman said due to ongoing increased measles transmission overseas, it was particularly important for travellers to check their immunity to the virus, and if necessary get vaccinated, before leaving Australia.

More than 80 people died during a measles outbreak in Samoa last year, many of them young children.

News of the latest Queensland case comes less than a week after the state’s Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young announced the purchase of 80,000 extra doses of measles vaccine to boost immunisation rates, particularly among people travelling overseas.

While Queensland Health has sufficient supply of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine for children through the National Immunisation Program, the additional doses, worth more than $1 million, will be distributed to GPs throughout the state to improve immunisation rates among adults.

“They are absolutely there for any adult who’s not had two doses,” Dr Young said.

“The aim is to vaccinate everyone because we know that one case of measles in a traveller returning from overseas can spread to other people.”

Dr Young said people born during or before 1966 were thought to be immune given the high rates of measles circulating at the time.

She said that last year, half of the state’s 74 cases were among people aged between 20 and 39 years old.

Children are normally given their first measles jab at 12 months, then another dose at 18 months.

But Dr Young said if children were travelling overseas to areas with high numbers of measles cases before their first birthday, they could be vaccinated as early as six months of age.

“They’ll still then have to have the normal two doses at 12 and 18 months,” she said.

For more information call 13 HEALTH.

Originally published as Child arrives on flight with measles