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Three people contract measles after Jetstar flight

Passengers who flew from Indonesia to Brisbane last Wednesday are being urged to contact their GP if they feel unwell after three people on the flight contracted measles.

Queensland Health has called on all passengers who flew on Jetstar Airlines flight JQ46, which left Denpasar on October 15, to carefully monitor for symptoms of the highly contagious disease.

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Acting Senior Director of Communicable Diseases, Dr Alun Richards, said measles was highly contagious among people who were not fully immunised.

It is spread through coughing and sneezing, and symptoms can include fever, tiredness, runny nose, cough and sore red eyes which usually last for several days before a red, blotchy rash appears.

Complications can include an ear infection and diarrhoea as well as more serious and potentially life threatening conditions such as pneumonia or swelling of the brain.

Susceptible passengers who may have been exposed to measles on this flight could expect symptoms to appear any time between October 23 and November 3.

Local public health units will be contacting passengers who were seated closest to the infected passengers.

Other passengers who develop symptoms should phone ahead when seeking medical attention to ensure they don’t share the waiting area with other patients, Dr Richards said.

Dr Richards said children should receive two doses of measles vaccine. One at 12 months and one at four years of age.

People born during or after 1966 who have not received the two doses of measles vaccine are at highest risk, he said.

People born before 1966 are usually immune because they are likely to have been exposed to measles during childhood.

This year 59 Queenslanders have suffered measles having caught it overseas or from someone else who caught it overseas, Dr Richards said.

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