SYDNEY, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- A measles alert has been issued for Sydney after health authorities in Australia's state of New South Wales (NSW) said on Thursday that the highly infectious disease is likely circulating in the city.
NSW Health said in a statement on Thursday that a person has recently been confirmed to have acquired measles in Sydney despite not having had known contact with another measles case nor having attended any known exposure sites.
"With the source of the infection unknown, it is likely measles is currently circulating within the community, and other people may have been unknowingly exposed to measles," NSW Health said.
Residents and visitors in Sydney have been urged to ensure they are up to date with their vaccinations and monitor for measles symptoms, including fever, runny nose and a cough followed by a blotchy rash that spreads from the head to the rest of the body.
South Western Sydney Local Health District Director of Public Health, Mitchell Smith, said that it can take up to 18 days after exposure to measles for symptoms to appear.
There have been 157 confirmed cases of measles in Australia in 2025, according to the federal government's National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System, 29 of which have been in NSW.
NSW Health on Nov. 14 issued a measles alert after being notified that a confirmed case from the neighboring state of Queensland had attended several locations across central Sydney while infectious between Nov. 8 to 10, including Sydney Airport and a concert attended by around 70,000 people. ■
