Measles alert issued in Perth as 60th case detected in Western Australia this year
The 60th case of measles has been detected in Western Australia this year, with another case of the deadly disease confirmed by authorities.
A health alert has been issued after an infectious person visited Beeliar Hive Pharmacy, Lagoon Medical Center and Beeliar Medicare Urgent Care Clinic in Perth’s south on Saturday.
WA Health Department Communicable Diseases Control Director Paul Armstrong said measles patients were contagious and could transmit the virus to others from one day before the onset of symptoms to four days after the rash appeared.
“People who get measles often feel very unwell, and some may be hospitalized. Complications can include pneumonia and, less commonly, encephalitis (inflammation of the brain),” he said.
“People who have been previously vaccinated can still develop measles, but the infection is usually milder and does not last as long.”
Dr Armstrong said measles usually appears around 10 days after exposure to the virus, but this can vary between 7 and 18 days.
“Measles is highly contagious and can spread via airborne droplets to nearby people in waiting rooms,” he said.
“Airborne droplets can still infect people who enter a room for up to 30 minutes after an infected person leaves the room.”
People were asked to check exposure locations listed on the WA Health website and check if they were there on the dates and times listed.
Symptoms include fever, fatigue, runny nose, cough, sore red eyes, or red splotchy skin that starts on the face and spreads throughout the body after about three to four days.
“There is no known ongoing risk of measles at the locations listed below outside the dates and times listed,” Dr Armstrong said.
