The Community and Public Health Division of
Canterbury District Health Board is warning travellers who arrived in
Christchurch on Monday, January 31, on a Pacific Blue flight from Melbourne may
have been exposed to measles.
Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Dr Alistair
Humphrey says Community and Public Health has been notified of an infected
passenger who arrived on Pacific Blue Flight DJ 60, which departed Melbourne and
arrived in Christchurch at 3pm last Monday.
Passengers on that flight who were seated in
rows 25 to 29 should contact Community and Public Health on 03 379 9480. All
other passengers are not at risk.
“Measles is a serious illness with 10 per cent
of people who have the disease requiring hospital treatment. Measles is at its
most highly infectious stage before any symptoms of a rash appears,” Dr Humphrey
says.
“The infected passenger was travelling to
Christchurch for a wedding and would have been travelling during this highly
infectious period.”
Passengers on the flight would now be
experiencing symptoms, he says.
“Measles is easily spread through the air and
people sitting in a row close to an affected passenger are potentially at risk.
Even people sitting further away could have been infected, for example, while
walking past the passengers with measles, or while waiting in the airport gate
lounge.”
While measles is now rare in New Zealand, thanks
to vaccination, Dr Humphrey says there were still three outbreaks in 2009/2010,
each of which was started by people who were infected overseas.
“People tend to underestimate measles – reality is it can be a nasty
disease. Measles can’t be treated once you get it, so the only way to prevent
the disease is through immunisation.”
Any passenger from Pacific Blue Flight DJ 60 who
feels unwell should telephone their GP or call Healthline on 0800 611-116 for
advice.
“It is important to call first because measles
is highly infectious and people with measles can infect others in the waiting
room,” Dr Humphrey says.
Typical symptoms of measles are:
The
first symptoms are a fever, runny nose and sore red eyes.
Then after a few days a red blotchy rash comes on and lasts up to one
week. It usually starts on the face and spreads to the rest of the body.
Children and adults with measles are often very sick.