AN Adelaide woman has contracted measles from a stranger in a rare transmission of the virus in Australia.

The woman’s case has been linked to that of an Adelaide man who picked up the highly infectious virus while travelling overseas earlier this year.

SA Health yesterday warned South Australians to be alert for symptoms of the disease, which can cause brain damage in severe cases.

It is understood the woman, 44, was in the same vicinity as the man, 23, at some stage during his infectious phase.

They are not believed to be known to each other.

Measles cases have been rare in Australia since the measles vaccine was introduced in 1966.

In SA, 87 per cent of kindergarten-aged children receive vaccinations to protect them against infectious diseases including whooping cough, measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria.

Almost all cases are unimmunised travellers bringing the disease from overseas. There were four in SA last year but none spread to a stranger.

SA Health chief medical officer Professor Paddy Phillips said the infectious phase lasted about two weeks and the disease could be spread by coughing and sneezing.

He said the airborne virus was highly contagious among those who were not fully immunised.

"The illness begins with fever, cough, runny nose, and sore eyes, followed by a rash which begins on the head and then spreads down the body," he said. "Complications of measles can be severe."

Anyone who was at any of the following locations around Adelaide at the listed times should watch for symptoms over the next two weeks, Prof Phillips said.

Tuesday, January 31: 10am-2pm, West Lakes Shopping Centre.

Wednesday, February 1: 10am-3pm, Cyprus Community Club, Welland.

Thursday, February 2: 9.30am-12pm, Uniting Care Wesley, Adelaide; 10am-4pm, Thebarton Neighbourhood House, Mile end; 12pm-3.30pm, Woodville Bowl.

Friday, February 3: 9.30am-5pm, Cheltenham Community Centre; 10.40am train from Cheltenham to the city; 11am-2pm, Jasper’s Coffee shop, Adelaide; 12.07 pm train to Cheltenham.

SA Health has alerted each business and GPs.

I have been diagnosed with anxiety, I am shocked; I thought I had ADHD because I am hyper, get bored easily, can't concentrate, and don't pay attention. However, I also worry a lot and get scared easily.

Is it true that all of this time it was anxiety? ever since I was a child I've had these symptoms, so is it possible that someone with Anxiety can have the same symptoms as someone with ADHD? and have them since kindergarten?

Thanks, and will the anxiety medication finally make me better?

You got some great advice already, but here's an answer to your first question.

It's entirely possible that you have ADHD and anxiety. It's also possible that your ADHD was caused by anxiety and/or sensitivity. Let me try to explain: if you're worrying about things around you, it's hard to concentrate on the one thing in front of you. Also, sensitive people are often anxious. if you're sensitive to sounds and sights, you'd be distracted constantly by the things going on around you.

Or if you had some sensory issues and trouble comprehending the things around you, you might get frustrated and stop paying attention. At the same time, you might feel anxious because you're not quite sure what's going on.

Also, you can definitely have had anxiety in kindergarten. since you didn't know why you were feeling bad and you weren't sure what to do about it, you'd have to have found some way to cope, and your way might have been to act this way.

I'd suggest working on your anxiety and your concentration, but avoid medicine.

I'm not a doctor but I do have anxiety. Its not being hyper but uneasiness, being bored easily does not have to do with anxiety, not being to concentrate…my counselmentionion how the nature of anxiety is to worry about one thing and the next thing and the next. It could be combinationion of both.