Gold Coast Public Health Unit has been notified of two additional infectious cases of measles on the Gold Coast.
One case is a school-aged child from the Gold Coast who recently returned from overseas where they acquired the virus. The other is an adult who visited the Gold Coast from Sydney. The two new cases are not linked to another case reported in northern NSW who visited southern Gold Coast last week.
People who may have been exposed to the virus in the following locations should monitor for symptoms:
Monday 5 February
- Nerang State School, Nerang between 8:45am to 3:30pm
- Flipz Academy Southport, Southport between 3:30pm to 4:45pm
- Southport Park Shopping Centre, Southport between 3:30pm to 4:45pm
Monday 5 February to 7 February
- QT Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise
Tuesday 6 February
- Palm Springs Café Burleigh, Burleigh Heads between 9:30am to 11am
- Sea World Marine Park Gold Coast, Main Beach between 11:30am to 5:30pm
- Etsu Japanese Izakaya Restaurant, Mermaid Beach between 9pm to 10:30pm
- Tram and bus route 700 and 777 from Surfers Paradise to Mermaid Beach between 8:20pm to 9pm
Wednesday 7 February
- You Japanese Restaurant, Surfers Paradise between 11am to 12:30pm
- Burleigh Pavilion, Burleigh Heads between 1:20pm to 3pm
- Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Broadbeach Waters 3pm to 5:30pm
- PappaRich, Pacific Fair Shopping Centre, Broadbeach Waters 3pm to 5:30pm
- Gold Coast Airport, Bilinga 6pm to 8:15pm
- Flight JQ427 from Gold Coast, arriving in Sydney at 10:15pm
Monday 12 February
- Woolworths Nerang, Nerang between 11am to 12pm
- Nerang Mall, Nerang between 11am to 12pm
There are further exposure sites in NSW, with information available via NSW Health.
Measles is one of the most infectious of all communicable diseases and is spread by tiny droplets through coughing and sneezing. It is a serious viral infection that causes fever, cough, runny nose, then a red spotty rash and sore eyes a few days later.
Symptoms usually start between 7 to 18 days after contact with a person with measles. Anyone who develops measles-like symptoms should contact their GP for advice.
It is very important to call the medical practice first to say you could have measles, so that staff can take precautions to avoid spreading the disease to others.
Measles can make people very unwell and although complications are uncommon, they can be very serious.
Vaccination is the best way for the community to protect themselves from diseases such as measles.
For more information on the measles virus, contact 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84)
or visit: https://www.qld.gov.au/health/condition/infections-and-parasites/viral-infections/measles.
