New South Wales Health has issued a measles alert for western Sydney after a confirmed case in a young child at a hospital emergency department.
The case is an infant, who was too young to be vaccinated, who recently returned from South Asia where there have been outbreaks of measles in several countries.
People may have been exposed to the highly-infectious disease at Blacktown Hospital emergency department last Friday, from 9.30am to 3pm.
READ MORE: Key change before missing Sydney couple's bodies found
Western Sydney Local Health District director of public health Catherine Bateman said if you, or someone you know, visited the location at those times it is important to be on the lookout for symptoms.
Symptoms of measles include fever, runny nose, sore eyes and a cough, usually followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash that spreads from the head to the rest of the body.
Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease that is spread through the air when someone who is infectious coughs or sneezes.
"Symptoms may appear between seven and 18 days after an exposure, so it's important for people to stay vigilant if they've been exposed, and if they develop symptoms, to please call ahead to their GP or emergency department to ensure they do not spend time in the waiting room with other patients," Bateman said.
READ MORE: Key change before missing Sydney couple's bodies found
Health authorities are reminding people to check that they are protected against measles.
"Anyone born during or after 1966 needs to ensure they have received two doses of measles vaccine, this is particularly important prior to overseas travel, as measles outbreaks are occurring in several regions of the world at the moment," Bateman said.
