A measles alert has been issued for the greater Brisbane region, as well as Melbourne and Shepparton in Victoria after an infected woman visited those cities last week and remained there for a few days.

The woman is believed to have been infectious while she was in Shepparton, Melbourne and Brisbane according to Victoria’s health department. The measles are believed to have been passed to her from an unknown person who had recently returned from overseas.

“We haven’t been able to ascertain who that was,” a department spokesman said. “We are concerned that people may have been infected after contact with the person in that period,” he went on to say.

“Measles has an incubation period of up to 18 days so illness acquired from contact could still be coming through, and subsequent cases could still remain infectious for many days. Measles is one of the most infectious of all communicable diseases and can cause fever, cough, runny nose, then a red spotty rash and sore eyes a few days later,” he continued.

“This can be a very serious disease, so anyone developing measles-like symptoms within the next three weeks is encouraged to contact their GP for advice. It is very important to call the medical practice first to say you could have measles.”

Health authorities say measles has an incubation period of up to 18 days, and people remain infectious for many days. People should look out for common cold symptoms such as fever, sore throat, red eyes and a cough. The characteristic measles rash usually appears three to seven days after the first symptoms, and generally starts on the face and then spreads to the rest of the body.

A timeline of the infected woman’s itinerary are listed below. If you think you may have come into contact with her at any time and you’re presenting with any symptoms please go and see you GP as soon as possible.

Caught Jetstar flight JQ574, Melbourne to Brisbane, Saturday, June 25
Landed at Brisbane Airport early afternoon
Caught train to Beenleigh from Brisbane Airport
Visited Beaudesert Fair Shopping Centre afternoon of Monday, June 27
Returned to Brisbane Airport Tuesday, June 28, caught Jetstar flight JQ569 at 12:45pm