A combined report from two major public health bodies has declared measles an “eminent threat” to the worldwide community.
Released on Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) feared that a record decline of measles vaccination rates and chronic large outbreaks meant that the respiratory virus was an “imminent threat in every region of the world”.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was “absolutely critical” that immunization programs were bought back heading in the right direction to avoid what he said is a “preventable disease”.
“The paradox of the pandemic is that while vaccines against Covid-19 were developed in record time and deployed in the biggest vaccination campaign in history, routine immunization programs were badly disrupted, and tens of millions of youngsters missed out on lifesaving vaccinations against deadly diseases like measles,” said Dr Ghebreyesus.
In keeping with the WHO, India, Somalia and Yemen are the three countries with the biggest measles outbreak.
While measles is regarded as one of the contagious viruses, the measles, mumps and rubella-containing vaccine administered during childhood is taken into account one of the best defence to cut back future outbreaks.
In Australia, the shot is free for youngsters between 12 to 18 months. People under the age of 20, refugees and humanitarian entrants may be eligible for a catch up vaccine.
The CDC states that nine out of 10 individuals who usually are not vaccinated against the disease will turn into infected in the arrival of exposure.
The virus is transmitted through water droplets released within the sneezes and coughs of infected people. Common symptoms include fever, cold-symptoms, conjunctivitis and red and blotchy rashes that first appear across the face and hairline before spreading elsewhere across the body.
The characteristic rash generally emerges three to 4 days after the initial symptoms develop.
Last week, visitors who travelled through Melbourne airport were asked to watch for symptoms until Saturday, December 3.
Three confirmed cases were recorded in a family travelling to Melbourne from Singapore, bringing the full variety of confirmed cases in 2022 to 5.
The passengers boarded a Qantas flight QF36/ Emirates flight EK5036 in Singapore on Monday and landed at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport on Tuesday at about 6:10 am. They were reportedly contained in the airport until 8:40 am.
Victoria’s deputy chief health officer Deborah Friedman urged individuals who developed symptoms to hunt medical care, and to wear a mask and call ahead to make sure they will be isolated from others.
She said young children and adults with weakened immune systems are essentially the most vulnerable to serious illness.
“Measles is a highly infectious viral disease that spreads quickly with close contact, especially in those that usually are not fully vaccinated,” said Ms Friedman.
This comes as NSW reported its first case of measles in two years in September this 12 months. An individual of their 50s was infected after traveling to Asia and developed symptoms after returning to Sydney.