NSW Health is urging anyone who visited the Sydney CBD and Leichhardt in the past few days to be aware of the symptoms of measles after an infected tourist visited the areas.
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The young adult international traveller is believed to have caught the infection in their home country and first developed symptoms in Melbourne on July 15.
The person then travelled to Sydney and visited tourist hot spots before being diagnosed with measles and put into isolation.
The areas include the Queen Victoria Building, the Pitt Street shopping district, Circular Quay and Central Station.
Vicky Sheppeard, director communicable diseases NSW Health, said Sydney residents and visitors to Sydney should be mindful of measles symptoms, particularly if they had not been vaccinated and had spent time in the places visited by the infected traveller.
"Symptoms to watch include fever, sore eyes and a cough, followed three or four days later by a red, blotchy rash spreading from the head and neck to the rest of the body."
This is the first case of measles in NSW since an outbreak in March was triggered by a traveller returning from Bali.
Dr Sheppeard said it was important to be vaccinated against measles, not only to protect oneself but to protect others through "herd immunity".
"Measles is highly infectious and is spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes," she said.
"If you or a family member experience symptoms, we recommend you see your GP, but call ahead to make arrangements to be seen without risking exposing others to the infection."
Measles remains common in many parts of the world, and NSW Health is urging all children and adults to receive two doses of the vaccine to protect them.
A highly effective measles vaccine, MMR (mumps-measles-rubella), is free in NSW for children and adults up to 51. A NSW Health spokesman said the measles vaccination programs commenced in Australia in the 1960s. Persons born prior to 1966 are presumed immune to measles through contracting the infection as a child.
Two doses of the measles vaccine are required for maximum protection. It is safe to have the vaccine more than twice, so people who are unsure should be vaccinated.
NSW Health said the specific exposure sites included:
July 15
▪ Flight VA841 flight from Tullamarine Airport, Melbourne, to Sydney at 11.30am.
▪ Madang Korean BBQ restaurant on Pitt Street at dinner time.
July 16
▪ Pancakes On The Rocks at The Rocks at lunch time.
▪ Hokka Hokka restaurant at Westfield Sydney at dinner time.
July 18
▪ Café Gioia in Leichhardt at lunch time.
▪ Yu Xiang Hot Pot restaurant on Hay Street at dinner time.
▪ Leichhardt Medical and Dental Centre.
July 19
▪ Train from Town Hall to Green Square before lunch.
▪ The Grounds of Alexandria for lunch.
▪ Abb Air Thai Restaurant at lunch time.
▪ Leichhardt Medical and Dental Centre.
The spokesman said any case of infectious measles can lead to an outbreak, however most measles introductions do not result in outbreaks due to the high vaccination coverage in Australia.
In the first three months of 2017, eight cases of measles were imported into NSW, and only one of those cases triggered an outbreak.
