Doctors are urging people in Lake Macquarie and Newcastle to vaccinate against measles, and watch for symptoms, following two confirmed cases of the highly contagious disease.
After returning from a trip to South Africa, a middle-aged man and a teenage boy were diagnosed with measles, after coming into contact with an infected person there.
The Hunter New England Local Health District has released an alert, which includes places they visited while infectious, advising anyone who also visited those locations at the same time to watch closely for symptoms:
Health Physician, Dr David Durrheim said it can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear, following exposure to measles.
“Symptoms to watch out for include fever, sore eyes and a cough followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head to the rest of the body. Anyone who develops symptoms of measles should phone their GP to ensure they don’t wait alongside other patients before seeing their doctor,” Dr Durrheim said.
Dr Durrheim also encouraged everyone in the Lake Macquarie and Newcastle regions to ensure they had received two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, which provides lifelong protection in 99 out of 100 people who are vaccinated.
“The measles-mumps-rubella vaccine is safe and effective protection against measles,” he said.
For more information on measles visit: https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/measles/Pages/key-facts.aspx
