Measles in air traveller triggers alert to passengers
17th December 2009
Health authorities have confirmed a case of English measles in a passenger who arrived in Auckland aboard an international flight from London and are trying to identify up to 56 passengers potentially affected. The passengers were seated in rows 56 – 60 inclusive and travelled on Air New Zealand flight NZ1 from London which arrived in Auckland on Monday, 7 December 2009. The Auckland Regional Public Heath Service (ARPHS) is asking passengers in these rows to call their doctor if they develop symptoms suggestive of measles. Canterbury District Health Board’s Community and Public Health Division is trying to contact those potentially affected on another flight, flight NZ509, from Auckland arriving in Chrisitchurch on the same day.
Dr Brad Novak, medical officer of health at Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) says, “It is important that the people in these rows are alerted to the risk of measles because it is a serious and highly infectious disease that can spread rapidly in unimmunised groups.”
These passengers, or their family members, who have symptoms suggestive of measles are advised to immediately seek advice from a doctor. Call ahead to alert your doctor or practice nurse about the possibility of measles as this will allow them to arrange to assess you safely without infecting others. People who suspect they may have measles should avoid contact with young children and pregnant women.
People most at risk of contracting the disease are those who have not had the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) vaccine or who have just had one dose of the vaccine. Anyone born before 1969 is likely to be immune to the disease without having had the vaccine.
The time delay from being exposed to measles to developing symptoms is usually 8 -14 days, but can be up to 21 days. Typical symptoms of measles are fever, runny nose and sore eyes initially, followed by a red blotchy rash. People are infectious from 5 days before developing the rash until 4 days after. Almost all cases will make a complete recovery; however, up to a third of children may develop complications such as middle ear infection and diarrhoea leading to hospitalisation or in rare cases death.
Following outbreaks of measles this year, on-time immunisation is recommended for all New Zealand children aged between 12 months and 12 years and all non-immune adults. Fact sheets are available at http://www.arphs.govt.nz/notifiable/measles.asp
Media contact: Communications Team 021 938431
