A teenager has tested positive for measles in southern Tasmania, marking the state’s second case in less than three weeks.
The Department of Health confirmed the case on Tuesday evening after the young person returned a positive test earlier in the day.
The teenager is now isolating and recovering at home, the department said.
Health authorities are tracing the case’s movements while they were infectious, with exposure sites identified in the Huon Valley and Channel areas south of Hobart.
The department said there were currently “no known links” to other measles cases and the source of the infection remains unknown.
Public exposure locations are being updated on the Department of Health website as contact tracing continues.
These currently include the Woolworths complex in Huonville on December 5 from 5:15pm to 6:30pm and the same area again from 6pm on December 5 to 9am on December 6.
People at the Franklin/Huon Rowing Club at the Franklin Foreshore from 5pm on December 6 to 11am on December 7 are also being told to watch for symptoms, as are those who were at The Grove Store on December 6 from 9:15am to 10:15am.
The case comes just over two weeks after Tasmania recorded its first measles case since February 2023.
That earlier case involved a traveller who arrived in Hobart from Brisbane on November 17 aboard a Virgin flight, with possible links to a Queensland outbreak.
The infected person visited Hobart Airport, Skybus, the Hobart YHA and several CBD locations before being admitted to the Royal Hobart Hospital on November 22.
Measles is highly contagious and spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
Symptoms include fever, runny nose, red eyes and cough, followed by a red, blotchy rash that typically spreads from the head downwards.
The department said anyone who visited the latest listed exposure sites should monitor for symptoms for up to 18 days.
If symptoms develop, people should isolate immediately and phone ahead before visiting a GP or emergency department, it said.
The department urged all Tasmanians to check they have received two doses of a measles-containing vaccine.
Those most at risk include people born in 1966 or later who are not fully vaccinated, children under 18 months and immunocompromised individuals, the department said.
