Further measles cases confirmed in Melbourne after individual who returned to Australia from Pakistan on Emrirates flight

Melbourne has recorded another case of measles in an individual who has returned from overseas, with health authorities pleading with travellers to ensure their vaccinations are up-to-date before heading abroad.  

The Victorian Department of Health confirmed on Wednesday a resident who flew into Melbourne Airport on an Emirates flight after visiting Pakistan was confirmed to have the highly infectious viral illness.

An alert issued by Chief Health Officer Dr Tarun Weeramanthri said the traveller was infectious while on Emirates flight EK408 from Dubai which touched down in the Victorian capital at 11.40pm on February 3.

The hundreds of passengers who were on that flight have been told to monitor for measles symptoms, which include cough, runny nose, fever and sore or red eyes (conjunctivitis) followed by a rash, until February 21.

“A new case of measles has been identified in Victoria, after travel overseas to Pakistan where there has recently been a large measles outbreak. There have now been 18 cases of measles identified in Victoria in the last 12 months,” the alert said.

“Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can lead to uncommon but serious complications, such as pneumonia and brain inflammation (encephalitis).

“At the present time, any overseas travel could lead to exposure to measles, with outbreaks reported in multiple countries and regions, including Vietnam, Thailand, India, Africa, Europe and the UK, the Middle East, and the USA.”

Other public exposure sites include the Melbourne Airport international arrivals hall between 12:30am to 1:30am on February 4.

The Monash Children’s Hospital Paediatric Emergency Department (9.20pm to 10.45pm on February 8) and Monash Medical Centre emergency department (9pm to 9.50pm on February 8) are also listed as exposure sites, with the full list on the department’s website. 

The latest case comes just a week after an individual who returned to Australia at 12.45am on January 26 on a VietJet Air flight from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam was confirmed to have measles.

“The total number of cases linked to travel in Vietnam since December 2024 now standing at eight,” the health department said last week.

On Monday, Dr Weeramanthri issued a health advisory urging Victorians to seek advice from their GP at least six to eight weeks before heading overseas to check what vaccinations they require based on their travels to prevent outbreaks when they return home. 

“Victorians travelling overseas are at increased risk of a range of vaccine preventable diseases, including measles, respiratory infections (e.g. influenza and COVID-19), gastrointestinal illnesses (e.g. hepatitis A, typhoid) and mpox. Vaccines are available to protect against these diseases,” the advisory said.

“Some of these diseases occur infrequently in Australia but are endemic (i.e. widespread) in other countries. They can be imported into Australia by returning travellers who are infected while overseas.

“Sometimes, infected travellers may not become unwell until they return to Australia. These illnesses may then be passed on to others in our community and cause disease outbreaks.”

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