Measles Outbreak Spreads in Australia
By VERONIKA OLEKSYN
Associated Press Writer
VIENNA,
Austria (AP) -- A measles outbreak in and around the Austrian city of Salzburg has spread to about 180 people, most of them schoolchildren, authorities said Thursday.
An investigation has been launched to determine if negligence
may have led to the spread of the contagious disease, said Marcus Neher, a spokesman with the Salzburg public prosecutor's office.
Officials were questioning employees and parents of children enrolled at a private school where the outbreak is believed to have started, Neher said. The probe was still in its initial phase and there was no concrete evidence against anyone yet, he added.
Hubert Hrabcik, director general of public health in Austria's Health Ministry, said the vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella, which are administered together, may have been "almost nil" at the school.
Sydney health officials could not be reached for comment.
