PUBLIC health officials are concerned Queensland could be in for a bad year for measles, with a further three cases confirmed today in Brisbane.

The three new cases take the total number of measles cases in Queensland this year to 13 – compared with only one at the same time last year.



The latest cases involve a traveller who returned from Papua New Guinea with measles and then affected two people close to them.



One of them visited several sites in the Brisbane CBD last weekend, sparking warnings to anyone who visited Sake restaurant in Eagle Street on the evenings of Saturday 29 or Sunday 30 March, or lunchtime on Monday 31 March, the Stock Exchange Hotel on Saturday 29 March from 11.30pm onwards or Pancake Manor on Sunday morning from 2am.



The infectious person also travelled on bus routes 306 or 322 on those dates.



The other confirmed case travelled through Beaudesert into northern NSW.



Metro North Public Health Unit public health physician Dr Catherine Quagliotto encouraged people who had not been immunised to get vaccinated.



“Given that we know there are significant outbreaks in other countries and people are returning with measles, it is likely that we will have more cases and we very much encourage vaccinations for everyone if they are not immunised,’’ she said.



“Already there had been more cases this year nationally than there were in the whole of last year.



“Children under five are most at risk of severe outcomes, as are pregnant women and immune-compromised people, but in adults it can also be quite a severe disease that makes people feel really unwell.’’



Dr Quagliotto encouraged people with measles symptoms to contact their GP. Symptoms include a fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes followed by a red spotty rash.



“Measles in one of the most infectious disease we know, so really anyone who has had contact with an infectious case is at risk,’’ she said.



“We know the virus remains active and contagious in the air or on infected surfaces for two hours.’’

Originally published as Measles alert for central Brisbane