The NSW Health Department is calling for people who went to Ashfield Mall and Strathfield Plaza to see their doctor immediately if they notice any symptoms of measles.
Measles is a highly contagious disease among people who are not fully immunised, such as babies, recently returned travellers, people with a weak immune system, or migrants and refugees who have never been immunised.
"Measles is spread through coughing and sneezing, and is one of the most contagious infections known," said Dr Vicky Sheppeard, Director of Communicable Diseases at NSW Health.
"Complications can range from swelling of the brain and pneumonia to ear infections and diarrhoea."
Surge in measles outbreaks in NSW
Although measles is largely eradicated in Australia, it can be reintroduced through unvaccinated travellers who have been exposed to measles overseas. Since the beginning of the year, there have been 26 reported cases of measles, the Department reported.
Off the back of these outbreaks, NSW Health issued a statement urging Australians to stay up to date with their vaccinations.
The Department also warned travellers to get vaccinated before heading overseas.
"People returning from overseas, especially from the Philippines, should be on the lookout for symptoms of measles, which starts with a fever, cough, sore red eyes and a runny nose for several days before a blotchy rash appears," Dr Sheppeard said.
But according to health researchers, unvaccinated travellers aren’t only to blame.
Funding gaps creating pockets of under-immunisation
A recent report by the University of New South Wales revealed that gaps in funding are creating pockets of under-immunisation in refugee and migrant communities in Australia.
University of New South Wales Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Raina MacIntyre, said outbreaks of vaccine-preventable disease across Australia had already been linked to these communities.
"We've seen large outbreaks of measles - the largest since 1998 - in the last couple of years in Sydney and western Sydney and these have been definitely linked to under-immunised migrant populations," she told SBS.
Eastern Access Community Health, which runs clinics and refugee health programs on the east coast of Australia, said up to 70 per cent of its clients were not fully immunised.
Professor MacIntyre blamed gaps in government funding.
"There is no universal, national initiative to catch up under-immunised migrants and refugees," she said.
"Say a child comes to Australia as a refugee or migrant at the age of 12 and so they've missed out on scheduled immunisation points on our national immunisation schedule. There's no national mechanism to ensure they get catch-up vaccinations."
Immunisations are funded nationally, but administered according to state criteria.
It's a complex arrangement for both patients and doctors.
The federal Department of Health and the Immigration Minister's office each referred SBS to each other, when asked to clarify funding arrangements for catch-up vaccines for refugees and migrants.
Comment is being sought from the New South Wales Health Department.
How to prevent the spread of measles
If you notice any measles symptoms:
- Call your doctor immediately to arrange medical treatment
- Stay at home to prevent the spread of the disease
- Drink plenty of fluids and rest
Getting vaccinated
- NSW Health recommends two doses of MMR vaccine (measles, mumps & rubella)
- Vaccinate children at 12 months, and then again at 18 months
- Anyone born in 1966 who has never been vaccinated needs to see their GP to receive two doses of measles, at least four weeks apart.
- It’s safe to be vaccinated more than twice, so if you’re unsure, you can get vaccinated again to avoid getting measles.
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