Australia: Measles alert issued for northern Sydney

Sydney, Oct 2 Health authorities in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) on Thursday issued a measles alert for northern Sydney after being notified of a case who was infectious while visiting several locations.

NSW Health said that the confirmed case visited five locations in Sydney's northern beaches region, including a supermarket, restaurant, cafe and pharmacist, while infectious on September 25 and 27.

The case was a close contact of a recently-reported measles case in northern Sydney, NSW Health said.

Anyone who attended the five locations at the same time as the new case has been advised to monitor for the development of symptoms until mid-October.

Michael Staff, Director of Public Health for the Northern Sydney Local Health District, said that symptoms to monitor for include fever, sore eyes and a cough, followed days later by a rash that spreads from the head and neck to the rest of the body.

According to data from the federal government's National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System (NNDSS), there had been 130 confirmed cases of measles in Australia so far in 2025 as of Thursday morning - more than the previous five years combined.

Of the 130 cases, 64 were people aged 20-34, and another 17 were aged 0-4.

Staff said that the alert should be a reminder for everyone to check that they are vaccinated against measles, Xinhua news agency reported.

Measles is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus. It spreads easily when an infected person breathes, coughs or sneezes. It can cause severe disease, complications, and even death.

Measles can affect anyone but is most common in children.

Measles infects the respiratory tract and then spreads throughout the body. Symptoms include a high fever, cough, runny nose and a rash all over the body.

Being vaccinated is the best way to prevent getting sick with measles or spreading it to other people. The vaccine is safe and helps your body fight off the virus.

Before the introduction of measles vaccine in 1963 and widespread vaccination, major epidemics occurred approximately every two to three years and caused an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.

An estimated 107 500 people died from measles in 2023 – mostly children under the age of five years, despite the availability of a safe and cost-effective vaccine.

Symptoms of measles usually begin 10–14 days after exposure to the virus. A prominent rash is the most visible symptom.

Early symptoms usually last 4–7 days. They include: Running nose, cough, red and watery eyes, and small white spots inside the cheeks.

The rash begins about 7–18 days after exposure, usually on the face and upper neck. It spreads over about 3 days, eventually to the hands and feet. It usually lasts 5–6 days before fading.

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