Published Date: 2010-06-07 19:00:09
Subject: PRO/EDR> Measles - Australia (03): (WA) nosocomial, alert
Archive Number: 20100607.1897

MEASLES - AUSTRALIA (03): (WESTERN AUSTRALIA) NOSOCOMIAL, ALERT
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Date: Mon 7 Jun 2010
Source: 7 News, ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) report [edited]
<http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/7357631/>


The Western Australia (WA) Health Department has issued a warning
about a potential measles outbreak in Royal Perth Hospital's emergency
department. A patient treated in the department last week [week of 1
Jun 2010] has tested positive for measles [virus infection] and it is
believed others may have been exposed to the highly infectious virus.
Health authorities are attempting to contact about 90 patients who
visited the department between 5:00 pm on the afternoon of Tuesday, 1
Jun 2010, and 3:00 pm on the following day.

Paul Effler from the Health Department says most of the patients have
been contacted. "But, we know that we won't be able to reach everyone
on a holiday weekend and there might have been some people that came
to the emergency department that were not patients."

People particularly at risk include infants, unimmunised pregnant
women and those with weak immunity. Paul Effler is encouraging anyone
who may be at risk to get preventative treatment. "We'd ask people to
act as soon as possible, certainly today or tomorrow because there's a
window of when you can give preventative treatment and have it work
and that's typically 7 days after the exposure, so we're coming close
to the end of that window."

It is the 2nd case of measles diagnosed in Perth in a fortnight.
Symptoms of the virus include fever, lethargy, sore red eyes, and a
widespread rash.

--
Communicated by:
HealthMap Alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[This is the 2nd measles alert in Australia this year (2010), but
unrelated to the 1st. It is clear that there is some apprehension that
the level of acceptance of MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination
may be less than desired.

The HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of Australia at
<http://healthmap.org/r/01tN> can be used to locate Western Australia
and the city of Perth. - Mod.CP]

See Also

Measles - Australia (02): (QL) alert, RFI 20100211.0488
Measles - Australia: (QL) alert, RFI 20100210.0463
........................................sb/cp/mj/jw
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