Forget ebola, peeps flying between Oz and Bali should be worrying about the measles

Take a break from your media-inspired ebola phobia for a minute and worry about a much more common and realistically threatening disease.

The measles are making headlines after three passengers flying from Brisbane to Bali tested positive for the infection. In response, Queensland Health issued a warning to Jetstar Airlines flight JQ46 from Denpasar that landed in Brisbane on October 16, says Australia’s ABC news. 

The scary thing about measles is you won’t know if you got the virus right away. Infected passengers could start experiencing symptoms from about October 23 to November 3, said Dr. Alun Richards, Queensland Health acting senior director of communicable diseases. 

“Measles is spread through coughing and sneezing, and symptoms can include fever, tiredness, runny nose, cough and sore red eyes which usually last for several days before a red, blotchy rash appears,” said Richards to ABC. People born after 1966 who haven’t received two doses of measles vaccine are most vulnerable to the disease, the doctor said. 

Richards advises calling your GP ahead of time if you’re experiencing symptoms and planning travel, but then again, if your instincts say no, please don’t hop on a plane and spread your germs on these disease-incubating vehicles, like the woman in U.S. when she started experiencing ebola-like symptoms and the CDC gave her the green light to travel. Come on CDC, really?