- A baby too young too be immunised has been infected with measles
- It is believed the baby contracted the disease from a 40-year-old man
- The man was taken to hospital after landing at Melbourne Airport on March 7
- All those infected with passed through baggage area at same time as the man
A baby too young to be immunised is the sixth victim to be infected with measles from a man on a Kuala Lumpur flight to Melbourne.
It is believed the baby contracted the disease from a 40-year-old man who became unwell when on an AirAsia flight.
The man became unwell on the AirAsia flight and was taken to hospital after landing at Melbourne Airport about 9.30am on March 7.
A baby too young to be immunised is the sixth victim to be infected with measles from a man on a Kuala Lumpur flight to Melbourne
The man became unwell on the AirAsia flight and was taken to hospital after landing at Melbourne Airport about 9.30am on March 7
Health authorities have confirmed that all those infected with measles had passed in the international baggage area around the same time as the 40-year-old man.
‘None of these were on the same flight, but we believe they fell ill because they were in the baggage area at the same time,’ Victoria’s deputy Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton said.
According to the Victorian State Government website, measles is a very contagious viral illness that causes a skin rash and fever.
It can cause serious and sometimes fatal complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis.
Measles is rare in Australia but vaccination against the disease is important because people coming from overseas can carry the virus.
The new measles cases include a baby too young to be immunised, and five adults aged between 20 to 60 years.
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