Shoppers in Melbourne's west are being warned to look out for measles symptoms after a retail worker contracted the infectious disease during a holiday in Bali.
Acting Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton says a casual employee at Big W in Werribee worked four consecutive days between March 3 and March 6 while infectious, before being diagnosed.
"We are concerned that more people may have been infected through contact with this individual in the community," Dr Sutton said on Saturday.
The employee's co-workers have been advised to look out for symptoms of measles.
Dr Sutton said the person is recovering and is thought to have contracted the disease during a recent visit to Bali.
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The symptoms did not become apparent until well after their return to Australia, he said.
Measles have symptoms often associated with the common cold, such as fever, runny nose, red eyes and a cough.
The characteristic measles rash usually appears between three to seven days after the first symptoms, and generally starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body.
The highly infectious viral disease can cause serious illness, particularly in very young children and adults.
People with measles can develop pneumonia and other serious complications which require hospitalisation.
Dr Sutton said those most likely to develop the illness are unvaccinated people who have travelled overseas, or unvaccinated people who have been in contact with contagious people.
