If you’re over 55, you probably remember measles outbreaks in your neighbourhood when you were a kid. You may have even contracted it yourself. I know I did. I still have a memory of my local GP, Dr O’Brien visiting our house and giving me the once over, tickling my tummy with his stethoscope.
Thankfully I don’t recall getting too sick. More thankfully, I recall my kids not getting measles because they received MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccinations when they were very young.
But there are Australians out there today who have missed out on the MMR vaccine and measles outbreaks have started to make occasional comebacks. An alert was issued by NSW Health last week after a baby tested positive for the highly contagious disease.
The nine-month old had just returned from Asia, where several cases of measles have been confirmed recently. With vaccination rates for under five-year-olds in Australia well over 90 per cent, measles cases are rare. Sydney’s last case prior to the current one was in September.
While the symptoms of measles are usually quite mild (rash and fever), complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis (brain inflammation) can occur occasionally.
Avoiding the disease is a simple as being vaccinated. In NSW, anyone born in or after 1966 can received the MMR vaccine at no cost. Other states have similar rules.
Do you remember getting measles as a child? How sick did you get?
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