Status: Active
Date issued: 8 May 2019 (update to Alert issued 2 May 2019)
Issued by: Dr Angie Bone, Acting Chief Health Officer, Victoria
Issued to: General Practitioners and Hospital Emergency Departments
Key messages
- Four cases of measles have been confirmed in Victorian residents in the past week. All have travelled overseas recently but do not appear to be linked.
- To date, a total of 14 confirmed cases of measles have been notified for Victoria year-to-date. These four cases may have been infectious whilst attending multiple public areas.
- Be alert for measles in patients presenting with a fever at rash onset, particularly if they attended the places below in the 7-18 days prior to onset of illness.
- Isolate suspected cases to minimise the risk of transmission within your department/practice.
- Notify the Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Section at the Department of Health and Human Services on 1300 651 160 of suspected cases immediately.
- Take blood for measles serology in all suspected cases.
- Discuss whether to take nose and throat swabs for PCR with the department if your suspicion for measles is high. Approval is required prior to PCR testing at the reference laboratory. PCR testing for measles does not attract a Medicare rebate.
- Free measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is now available from GPs and some pharmacies for all eligible adults born during or since 1966.