Several Australian flights are victims of measles, an airline plagued by pilot-borne illness – Travel Weekly

NSW Health warns air pbadengers against the symptoms of measles when a diagnosis of highly contagious disease has been diagnosed in a traveler.

The traveler has proved infectious after traveling on an international Jetstar flight from Thailand and a domestic flight between Sydney and Melbourne with the same airline. The traveler then took a Virgin Australia flight to New Zealand.

The traveler was on the following flights:

• Jetstar flight JQ28 will leave Phuket at 18:45 on 18 March and arrive at the T1 International Terminal at Sydney Airport at 10:30 on 19 March;
• Jetstar flight JQ517 departs from the T2 domestic terminal at Sydney Airport at 14:00 on 19 March and arrives at Terminal 4 at Melbourne Airport at 15:35; and
• The Virgin Australia VA99 flight departs from Terminal 2 at Melbourne Airport at 6:35 pm on March 19 and arrives at Christchurch Airport at 11:35 pm.

NSW Health urges all pbadengers on the same flight or international and domestic baggage carousels at Sydney Airport, Customs, arrival and departure areas between 19:30 and 14:30 on March 19 , to check the symptoms until April 6th.

Symptoms can take up to 18 days after contact with an infectious person.

The news comes just days after the discovery of a Cathay Pacific Airways pilot who had flown seven flights in four days after contracting the highly contagious disease.

A flight attendant from one of these flights also contracted measles.

The Hong Kong Aeronautical Authority will investigate the airline, which follows the worst outbreak of measles in its territory in five years, with 20 cases reported so far.

Last week, an elementary school student and a backpacker increased the number of measles cases in New South Wales since December The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Victoria has registered eight cases so far this year.

Dr. Vicky Sheppeard, director of the Communicable Diseases Branch of NSW Health, said people are susceptible to measles if they have never had the disease or have not received two doses of measles vaccine.

"The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is free in NSW for people born during or after 1966 who have not already received two doses," Sheppeard said. "If you do not know if you took two doses, you can take another one safely.

Symptoms include fever, sore eyes, and cough followed by a red rash three to four days later from the head and neck to the rest of the body.

"If you develop symptoms, please call your doctor in advance to make sure you do not wait in the waiting room with other patients," Sheppeard said.

Measles outbreaks in popular tourist destinations, including in Southeast Asian countries, mean that the risk of measles importation into Australia remains high.

Measles spreads in the air by a cough or sneeze caused by a sick person.

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