09/01/2026
🩺 An overseas traveller who visited the Mackay region has been diagnosed with measles.
In a statement on Friday the Mackay Hospital and Health Service said the visitor was travelling up the Queensland coast by car.
However, it said the risk of local transmission was considered “extremely low,” because the visitor’s “interactions with the community have been very limited”.
Queensland Health said contact tracing had been complete, and no local exposure sites were found.
It said any exposure sites would be published on this webpage: Health alerts and warnings | Queensland Health
👉Measles is a highly infectious virus that is spread by coughing and sneezing or through direct contact with secretions from the nose or mouth.
Symptoms usually start 7-10 days after contact with an infected person but can sometimes take as long as three weeks.
📌Symptoms
The initial symptoms of measles can include fever, lethargy, runny nose, moist cough and sore red eyes.
This is followed a few days later by a blotchy, red rash which often starts on the face and then becomes widespread over the body.
If you have any measles symptoms, you can arrange testing with your doctor or call 13HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for advice.
If you think you may have measles, it is very important to avoid public spaces.
