Outbreak fears sweep Australia after a traveller returned home from Bali with a highly contagious infection
SA Health has urged anyone who is not fully immunised, particularly those who visited locations listed on its website during specified times, to monitor their health over the coming weeks.
Anyone who develops symptoms should contact their doctor before attending a clinic to avoid spreading the highly contagious disease.
Measles typically begins with fever, cough, runny nose and sore eyes, followed by a blotchy rash starting on the head and spreading down the body.
Complications can be severe, including pneumonia and encephalitis.
'This is the fourth case of measles in South Australia this year, following six cases recorded in 2024,' SA Health said in a statement.
'There has been an increase in cases nationally over the past six months, with most linked to recent overseas travel.'
Authorities are also advising those who have recently travelled interstate to check health alerts from other jurisdictions, especially if they develop symptoms consistent with measles.
Vaccination remains the most effective protection against the disease, with two doses providing the highest level of immunity.
Under the National Immunisation Program (NIP), children receive doses at 12 and 18 months.
People under 20 years who missed vaccinations, along with refugees and humanitarian entrants of any age, are eligible for funded catch-up vaccines.
A new state-funded Measles Vaccination Program, introduced on 1 July 2025, is also offering free vaccines to certain age groups travelling overseas.
Initially available through GPs and select pharmacies offering travel vaccinations, the program will expand to all immunisation providers in the coming weeks.
SA Health recommends that people born during or after 1966 check their vaccination records.
Those without proof of receiving two doses should be vaccinated before travelling overseas.
Most people born before 1966 are considered immune due to exposure in childhood.
'Given the increased number of cases in Australia and overseas, we urge all South Australians, especially travellers, to ensure they are up to date with their vaccinations,' SA Health said.
A list of participating vaccination providers is available on the SA Health website.
Kings Park Clinic, 309 Goodwood Road, Kings Park on Thursday 7 August from 12:30pm to 1:15 pm
Adelaide Airport on Tuesday 5 August from 1:30pm to 2:30 pm.
Flight JQ499 from Gold Coast to Adelaide on Tuesday 5 August departed 11:00 am
Flight JQ498 from Adelaide to Gold Coast on Tuesday 5 August departed 7:30 am
Adelaide Airport on Tuesday 5 August from 6:15 am to 7:45 am
Adelaide Airport on Monday 4 August from 6:15 pm to 7:15 pm
Flight JQ126 from Denpasar to Adelaide on Monday 4 August departed 11:35 am
Flight JQ125 from Adelaide to Denpasar on Sunday 3 August departed 6:15 am.
Adelaide Airport on Sunday 3 August from 4:45 am to 6:15 am
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Officials warn once-eradicated rabies now a threat to millions of Americans
Millions of Americans could be at risk of rabies as infections surge among wildlife, and experts warn that summer recreation spots from backyards to hiking trails are no longer safe. Within the past two weeks, dozens of county governments from Maine to Wyoming have issued urgent warnings to residents and tourists about a surge in rabies cases among local wildlife, putting communities at risk. The dog-specific rabies variant, once the main threat to humans, was declared eliminated in the US in 2007 thanks to strict vaccination laws. However, the threat remains as bats, raccoons, skunks, and foxes still carry rabies, and unvaccinated dogs can contract canine rabies from these wild animals and transmit it to humans. That threat was top of mind for officials at the Campbell County Department of Health in North Carolina, who, last week, alerted the public after spotting two dogs near the body of a fox that tested positive for rabies earlier this week. It is unclear whether the dogs were up to date on their rabies vaccines. Over 90 percent of animal cases reported to the CDC are in wildlife. And while one to three Americans die of the disease every year, the threat of exposure appears to be rising. More than 200 tourists from 38 states were potentially exposed to the near-always fatal virus via a wild bat colony at the Jackson Lake Lodge in Wyoming between mid-May and late July. The state health department launched an all-out awareness effort to contact guests earlier this week. A rabid fox attacked and bit two people in separate incidents last Monday in Aberdeen, North Carolina. Both of them are receiving medical treatment and are expected to recover. Without rapid treatment, consisting of a fast-acting antibody shot followed by a four-dose series of shots spread over 14 days, the disease is fatal. After a bite, rabies infiltrates the nerves and travels to the brain, causing deadly inflammation. It destroys the brainstem, disrupting breathing and heart function while triggering aggression, hallucinations, and fear of water from throat spasms. Once symptoms appear, death follows within days. Rabid animals often exhibit bizarre, unusual behavior, such as biting their own limbs, growling or drooling excessively, and stumbling. Rabid bats are often unable to fly or fly in endless circles, while typically nocturnal animals, including foxes, raccoons and bats, will appear in daylight. In Wyoming, State Health Officer Alexia Harrist said: 'What we're really concerned about is certainly people who have had actual physical contact with bats because the way that rabies is spread is through the bat's saliva, either through a bite or a scratch.' Eight cottage-style rooms at the Jackson Lake Lodge were closed on July 27 after multiple bat encounters were reported since June. The colony was settled in the hotel's attic. Travis Riddell, director of the Teton County Public Health Department, said: 'Although there were a lot of people exposed in this incident, one positive about it is that we know who 100 percent of those people are.' Meanwhile, in North Carolina, a young mother left her house to investigate what sounded like a cat under her car. Almost immediately, a wild fox bit her leg and then her hand when she tried to get it off her. Officers narrowly missed the fox, who ran into the neighboring woods. More than 200 people may have been infected with rabies after spending the night at the Jackson Jake Lodge in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park Then they got a call about a similar incident nearby. A 77-year-old unnamed man was bitten by the same fox on his leg, according to police. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The fox, which tested positive for rabies, was caught and shot by Moore County Animal Services deputies. Both people are receiving appropriate medical care. After a rabid raccoon attacked a person and dog in a Charleston County neighborhood last week, health officials are issuing an urgent warning: unvaccinated pets pose a dual risk in that they can contract rabies from wildlife like raccoons and then transmit the deadly virus to humans through bites or saliva. State officials have also reported a series of rabies cases among wild animals in recent weeks. Most recently, Franklin County, North Carolina officials reported its 10th confirmed animal rabies case of the year. Scott LaVigne, Franklin County Health Director, said: 'We've already doubled the number of confirmed rabies cases in Franklin County this year, more than all of 2024, and this season is not even close to being over.'
Sky News
16 hours ago
- Sky News
Pictures of 'zombie-rabbits' with twisting black horns go viral - so are they real?
Photos of rabbits in Colorado with black, horn-like growths around their faces have gone viral, with some describing the animals as "Frankenstein-", "zombie-" and "demon-rabbits". Warning: This article contains images of infected rabbits, which some readers may find disturbing. Residents in Fort Collins near Denver recently began posting pictures of the cottontail bunnies, causing a stir online. "This is how the zombie virus starts," posted one Instagram user on a post showing the rabbits. "We've got freaking zombie rabbits now?!" posted another on YouTube. So what's going on? Firstly, the pictures are real - despite some wishing they weren't. "One time I need this to be AI," wrote one Instagram user on a post showing the horned bunnies. The rabbits are suffering from a relatively harmless disease called Shope Papilloma Virus, according to Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Although the wildlife agency is getting calls from people spotting the infected rabbits in Fort Collins, they're not an unusual sight, according to spokesperson Kara Van Hoose. The disease is mainly found in America's Midwest, according to the University of Missouri, and is more noticeable in the summer, when the fleas and ticks that spread the virus are most active. The virus can also spread through rabbit-to-rabbit contact but not to other species like humans or dogs and cats, according to Ms Van Hoose. People are being warned not to touch the infected rabbits, however. Do the growths hurt the rabbits? The horn-like growths, or papillomas, are harmless to the bunnies, unless they grow on sensitive areas like the eyes or mouth or interfere with eating. Once the rabbits' immune systems have fought the virus, the growths will disappear. Although infected wild rabbits usually don't need treatment, it can be dangerous to pet rabbits, so officials recommend getting pet bunnies treated by a vet. The mythical jackalope It's not a new illness, and is even thought to have inspired the centuries-old myth of the "jackalope", a rabbit with antelope antlers. Although hunters had long known about the disease, it was first scientifically reported in 1931 by Richard E Shope - hence the name. Since then, the rabbits' warts and horns have contributed to life-saving scientific understanding, including how viruses can be linked to cancer, like the HPV virus to cervical cancer.
Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
The 13 essential lessons I've learned from 13 years of using Botox, by beauty guru INGEBORG VAN LOTRINGEN
I was 42 when I first had Botox, and I felt truly conflicted about it. I didn't relish the dead-eyed, bowling ball-brow aesthetic that anti-ageing jabs can lead to. But I also didn't like the deepening frown lines between my eyes. Botox got rid of them in days, and today even my husband notes that I don't have 'that angry look' any more.
