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Melbourne measles cluster: Traveller infects baby and five adults with disease
By Rachel Eddie
A baby is among six Victorians who have contracted measles after being infected by a traveller visiting from Vietnam.
It is the largest cluster of measles in the state since March last year, with the newly infected patients taking the total number of measles cases in Victoria to 22 so far this year.
The infant, who is less than 12 months old, is not seriously unwell.
Another 27 babies and toddlers were potentially exposed at the childcare centre the infected baby attends and were taken to Monash Medical Centre on Wednesday to be immunised with immunoglobulin in a bid to stop them developing the disease.
Measles causes fever, cough and a runny nose, then a red spotty rash and sore eyes.
The man, aged in his 30s, attended family events in Mornington on May 4 and St Kilda on May 5. He was put in isolation in hospital after returning to Vietnam.
Chief health officer Angie Bone said people often contracted measles and became infectious before showing any symptoms and easily pass on the disease, which can cause complications and even death in rare cases.
The latest six patients, who would have caught the disease at the family events, may have infected other people across Melbourne before they were showing any symptoms.
During that period, they visited the CBD, Geelong, East Malvern, Chadstone, Noble Park, Hawthorn, Oakleigh, Mount Waverley, Fairfield, South Wharf, Armadale, Abbotsford, East Melbourne, Baxter, Frankston, Karingal and St Kilda Road.
Dr Bone said there may be further cases to come from the same cluster, and urges anyone with symptoms to see a GP or emergency department, but call ahead before visiting to avoid the further spread of infection.
She said it was the biggest cluster of measles in the state since March last year, when nine people developed the illness in an outbreak connected to Melbourne Airport.
Another adult diagnosed this week - who has visited Bendigo and Echuca - is not connected to the other cases, but was infected by another overseas traveller who visited in April.
Symptoms of measles include fever, coughing, conjunctivitis and a rash that starts on the face.
Dr Bone warned travellers to check if they were vaccinated before leaving Australia because there have been outbreaks in Asia, Europe and America.
People need to have received two doses of measles-containing vaccine to be fully protected. Many adults have only received one vaccine against measles.
The five adults infected at the start of May are mostly people born after 1966 who only had one of the two vaccines.
Latest figures from the Australian Immunisation Register show 95.7 per cent of Victorian five year olds are now fully immunised.
Almost all the cases in Victoria this year involved people who were not fully immunised against measles, had travelled overseas or been in contact with travellers from overseas.
The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is available for free from GPs and some pharmacies for all eligible adults born during or since 1966.
Anyone who visited the following locations should be alert for symptoms:
- Saturday, 4 May (morning-2pm): The Mornington Hotel, Mornington
- Saturday, 4 May (1.30pm-3pm): Coltman Plaza-Lucas Shopping Centre,
Lucas in Ballarat - Sunday, 5 May (morning-10am): The Mornington Hotel, Mornington
- Sunday, 5 May and Monday, 6 May: Quest Services Apartments, St Kilda
- Monday, 6 May (4pm-5pm): Priceline Pharmacy, Douglas Parade, Williamstown
- Tuesday, 7 May (8.30am-11am): Melbourne Airport, Terminal 2
Vietnam Airlines flight VN780 - Saturday, 11 May (11am-1pm): Southern Cross Station, Food Court, Melbourne
- Saturday, 11 May (12pm-3pm): Holey Moley Mini Golf, Melbourne CBD
- Monday, 13 May (9am-5pm): Geelong Public Library, Geelong
- Monday, 13 May (12.30pm-2.30pm): The Hot Chicken Project, Geelong
- Tuesday, 14 May (9am-5pm): Geelong Public Library, Geelong
- Thursday, 16 May (12pm-4pm): Chadstone Shopping Centre, Chadstone
- Saturday, 18 May (12pm-1pm): Oakleigh Masonic Lodge election polling booth, Oakleigh
- Saturday, 18 May (5.30pm-7pm): Chadstone Shopping Centre, Chadstone
- Sunday, 19 May (3pm-4.30pm): McDonalds, Mount Waverley
In March, backpackers at a Melbourne hostel were also warned they may have been exposed to measles by another guest at Nomad All Nations Hostel on Spencer Street.
A teenage man spent four days there from March 21 to March 24 and was then treated in isolation in hospital.