Sydney, March 8 (IANS): The health authority in the Australian state of Victoria issued a public warning on Friday after five cases of measles were identified in the state capital Melbourne.

Between February 19 and March 1, the five patients attended several public venues while infectious, including Melbourne Airport, Craigieburn Post Office, and Monash University, Xinhua news agency reported.

One of the newly confirmed cases also traveled to New South Wales and visited Sydney's central business area during a one-day stay, triggering another health alert for local communities.

"Measles is a highly infectious viral illness that can lead to uncommon but serious complications, such as pneumonia and brain inflammation," the Victorian Department of Health warned in a statement.

Symptoms of measles include fever, cough, sore or red eyes, runny nose, and a red maculopapular rash. They may appear between seven and 18 days after an exposure.

People who had been exposed to the listed sites during the specified dates and times were urged to monitor for any related symptoms.

The health authority also noted that overseas travels could lead to exposure to measles at the current time, as outbreaks of the highly infectious disease have been recently reported in Asia, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and the US.