Alarm as measles hits

THERE have been more measles cases this year than in the whole of 2017, with the Australian Government urging people to be aware of the symptoms of the disease.

As of April 5, there had been 83 measles cases compared with 103 for the whole of 2018 and 81 for the whole of 2017.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said 95 per cent of the community needed to be vaccinated to achieve immunity and prevent the spread of the disease. He said 93.5 per cent of two-year-old children had received two doses of the vaccine, making them protected against it.

“I am concerned about the recent increases in measles cases in Australia and want to make sure our community is well protected against this very serious disease,” Mr Hunt said yesterday.

“Immunisation saves lives. The measles vaccine is very effective at protecting lives.”

As a result of the spike in cases Mr Hunt has commissioned the Australian Academy of Science to work with measles experts to raise awareness about the disease.

Four videos will be released in the coming weeks that will explain the disease and its symptoms, the vaccinations available and will warn people travelling to countries where the risk of measles is high.

It comes as NSW Health issued a fresh measles alert on Sunday.