Tourists sick in Swedish paradise

 

Southeast Asia
Measles alert in holiday paradise – warning issued

Julia Wide

Published 09.25
 

Quick version

• Several cases of measles have been reported in tourists who have returned from holiday destinations in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Thailand.
• Australia's public health agency has issued a warning after measles cases in Victoria, emphasizing the risk of infection when traveling abroad.
• Measles is a highly contagious disease, and symptoms include high fever, rash and in severe cases pneumonia or death.

Measles outbreaks have been reported in Vietnam, among others. Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto

Several cases of measles have been discovered in tourists who have returned from the Swedish paradise in Southeast Asia.

In Australia, the Public Health Agency has issued a warning.

“Currently, all international travel can lead to exposure to measles, with outbreaks reported in several countries in Asia such as Thailand, Indonesia and India,” the agency writes.

Several measles outbreaks are now being reported in popular holiday destinations in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam and Thailand.

This is according to Australia’s Public Health Agency, which issued a warning on Saturday after four people with measles virus were discovered in Melbourne’s state of Victoria. The people had recently returned from travel in Southeast Asia.

Among other things, there is currently a large measles outbreak in Vietnam. On December 19, the country’s Ministry of Health reported more than 20,000 suspected measles cases for 2024, including almost 5,000 confirmed cases and seven deaths.

“Currently, all international travel can lead to exposure to measles, with outbreaks reported in several countries in Asia such as Thailand, Indonesia and India, as well as Africa, Europe and the UK, the Middle East and the USA,” the Public Health Agency writes in the warning.

The symptoms are high fever, dry cough, irritated eyes and rash. Photo: Natalya Maisheva / Getty Images

Extremely contagious

According to the agency, there has been an increase in reported measles cases in returning travelers across Australia in recent weeks.

Measles is one of the world's most contagious diseases and is spread through the air as droplets. It is enough for an infected person to stay in a room and for another person to enter the room within two hours for that person to also become infected.

The symptoms are high fever, dry cough, irritated eyes and rash. It can also lead to pneumonia and in some cases encephalitis and death, according to the Public Health Agency.

The disease is rare in Sweden, as the measles vaccine has been part of the vaccination program for children since 1982. In 2021, there were zero cases in the country. However, last year, more people were infected in Sweden than in several years. Almost everyone had contracted the virus while traveling abroad.

Measles is caused by a contagious virus. Photo: Cdc / TT