Measles Outbreak Hits University

Swinburne University is the latest to be hit by the measles outbreak, currently spreading throughout Melbourne suburbs.

Fairfax media is reporting that two people linked to Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus in the inner east are among 15 of the confirmed cases of the highly infectious viral disease to emerge in the past two weeks.

However, a health department spokesman has confirmed that there are no new cases of measles that have been reported since Wednesday. The current tally of confirmed cases is now sitting at 15.

A warning letter was sent to all students and staff at Swinburne University on Tuesday advising them of the confirmed cases from the Hawthorn campus. The letter also urged readers to check their immunisation status and watch for signs and symptoms of the disease.

Parents at St Louis de Monfort’s Primary school in Aspendle were also alerted to a case of “suspected modified measles” in a note sent to all parents and staff from the school on Wednesday.

Reports have not confirmed the child’s illness, but nevertheless the school is erring on the side of caution following the medical advice it has received.

The measles outbreak has affected a range of Melbourne suburbs including Brunswick, Brunswick East, Brunswick and Preston. The majority of confirmed cases have been adults from the inner north.

Due to the widespread use of the measles vaccine, the disease is thankfully uncommon in Australia. However, the health department has issued a statement stating how important it is to continue immunising children because of the risk the infection can be brought in by overseas travellers.

Image source: Instagram

14 Comments

- - aprilb1, NSW said
  - 24 Apr 2016
    9:25 pm
I hope these outbreaks stop, it shouldn’t be happening today

- - Nas01, NSW said
  - 07 Apr 2016
    8:56 pm
This is seriously shocking and should not be happening today.

- - Some_Toss, NSW said
  - 07 Apr 2016
    2:38 pm
So scary! Thanks for sharing!

- - mom94125, NSW said
  - 02 Mar 2016
    11:09 am
yes it is very scary to read about. yep everyone needs to be on their schedules!

- - mom81879, NSW said
  - 01 Mar 2016
    9:19 pm
Oh no, so scarey! Even scarier how the diseases we had under control through vaccinations are now on the increase thanks to those parents who refuse to da vibrate their kids

- - mom57619, NSW said
  - 27 Feb 2016
    9:16 pm
So what is “modified measles”?

- - coastalkaryn, NSW said
  - 27 Feb 2016
    5:50 pm
I couldn’t even put a pencil between my sons measles gosh he was crook, and so jolly itchy

- - BellaB, NSW said
  - 27 Feb 2016
    4:18 pm
I wish the dates these articles are published were more prominent (yes, I found it).

- - mom93821, NSW said
  - 27 Feb 2016
    6:46 am
Measles is awful and let’s hope no one else suffers.

- - rachelvk, NSW said
  - 26 Feb 2016
    9:40 pm
My son is in child care in an eastern suburb of Melbourne. We have had one confirmed case of measles in his room. I am 38 weeks pregnant. My biggest worry is that after bub is born I will need to take bub with me to drop my son off at child care. It scares me that my baby, who will be too young to be vaccinated, may be exposed to these viruses because there is a high likelihood, given the case of measles at the centre, that there is at least one unvaccinated child there. Very scary.

- - Mummytoabeautifulprincess, NSW said
  - 26 Feb 2016
    1:32 pm
This is a bit frightening. You’d think by now people would have woken up to being vaccinated to prevent these kinds of things 🙁

- - mom90758, NSW said
  - 26 Feb 2016
    1:01 pm
I find it quite scary when older people get measles. It can be quite dangerous.

- - mom165081, NSW said
  - 26 Feb 2016
    12:43 pm
Another great reminder of the need to keep up to date with vaccinations

- - lepumpkinhead, NSW said
  - 26 Feb 2016
    10:10 am
This is the exact reason I cannot see why anti vaxers are so against vaccinations, we have not seen an outbreak in so long because of immunisations and now people are starting to not immunise their children its rearing its head again, I can only imagine what else we will see soon…