Measles alert issued for Sydney CBD, airport
Sydney, Nov 14
Health authorities in the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW) have issued a measles alert for central Sydney and the city's airport.
NSW Health said on Thursday that it has been notified that a confirmed measles case from the neighbouring state of Queensland visited several Sydney locations while infectious between November 8 to 10, including a concert attended by around 70,000 people.
Anyone who visited a list of locations including the Sydney Airport, central business district, the concert and trains in the city's inner-west between November 8 to 10 has been advised to monitor for measles symptoms until November 28, Xinhua news agency reported.
Jeremy McAnulty, Executive Director of Health Protection NSW, said in a statement that it can take up to 18 days for symptoms to appear after an exposure to measles.
He advised anyone who develops symptoms, including fever, sore eyes and a cough followed by a rash, to call ahead to their doctor or hospital to avoid spending time in a waiting room with other patients.
Queensland Health said that the case also spent time in central Brisbane and at the Brisbane Airport while they were unknowingly infectious.
According to the latest data from the National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System, there have been 153 confirmed cases of measles in Australia so far in 2025, more than the 115 cases reported in the previous five years combined.
Of the 153 cases in 2025, 30 have been in Queensland and 28 in NSW.
Meanwhile, it was reported last month that the United States has registered 1,618 measles cases with three deaths so far this year, the highest number since 1992.
Among them, 1,595 cases were reported by 42 domestic jurisdictions and 23 cases were among international visitors to the United States, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on October 22. The total represents the most US infections since 1992, when the CDC recorded 2,126 measles cases.
Of the confirmed cases this year, 198 cases, or 12 per cent of the total, have required hospitalization, including 95 children under the age of five. Three people have died from measles.
According to the CDC, 92 per cent of measles cases in the United States occurred among people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown.
Public health experts said the figures reflect a sharp resurgence of measles in the United States and underscore the importance of vaccination coverage.
— IANS
Reader Comments
This reminds me how important vaccination is. In India, we have universal immunization programs, but still many people miss their shots. Hope everyone traveling internationally is up to date with their vaccines!
My cousin is studying in Sydney and was at that concert! He's checking for symptoms now. The 18-day incubation period is quite long - makes contact tracing very challenging.
The US numbers are alarming - 1,618 cases with 3 deaths! This shows how quickly diseases can resurge when vaccination rates drop. We need to learn from this and strengthen our own public health systems.
While I appreciate the health alert, I wish authorities would be more specific about the exact locations and timings. "Central business district" is too vague - people need clearer information to assess their risk properly.
As a doctor, I can't stress enough how crucial the MMR vaccine is. Measles isn't just a childhood rash - it can cause serious complications. Hope this alert makes people realize the importance of immunization. 💉
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