Families on alert as baby with 'highly infectious’ disease attends concert
Parents have been urged to take precautions after a baby infected with the highly contagious measles disease attended a concert in Australia.
Families with young children are being told to look out for measles symptoms after a baby with the virus was taken to a number of different locations across Sydney.
One of the venues was holding a concert for the popular Australian children's music group, the Wiggles.
Health authorities are working to ascertain where the little one - who is too young to get the MMR shot - originally contracted the virus.
The youngster had not been overseas. In some parts of the world, vaccination rates have plummeted and infections have soared, New South Wales Health has said.
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NSW Health added they haven't linked this case to another in Western Sydney from March.
Vaccination rates are plummeting in some parts of the world (stock image) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)The infant in the March case had become infected after travelling to India, a known hotspot.
Among the locations parents are being warned about are a garden store, GP surgery, shopping malls, swimming pool, a chemist and the Wiggles gig.
NSW Health Communicable Diseases director Dr Christine Selvey told 7News that anyone who attended the venues on certain dates should watch out for symptoms like fever, sore eyes, a cough or a runny nose.
Measles sufferers can also experience a sore throat and the key indicator is a blotchy rash that covers the entire body.
The disease, which was most prevalent in Britain during the Victorian era, can be fatal to young children if it remains untreated.
“It can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure, so it is really important to stay vigilant if you’ve been in the above locations and if you or your child develops symptoms, please call ahead to your GP to ensure you do not spend time in the waiting room with other patients,” Selvey told the outlet.
“Measles is a highly contagious infection and the most vulnerable are infants under 12 months, who are too young to be vaccinated against it, other members of the community who are not fully vaccinated and people with a weakened immune system.
“This case, the second in Western Sydney in recent days, highlights the importance of parents getting their children vaccinated against measles as soon as possible after they turn one.”
Selvey warned that the reemergence of the disease overseas could lead to more cases in Australia.
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“With measles in the community, everyone born in or after 1966 should check they have had two doses of measles vaccine — if there is any doubt, get a vaccine as additional doses are safe,” she said.
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