The Auckland Regional Public Health Service can confirm:

• 119 confirmed cases of measles in the Auckland region as of this morning
• 10 contacts are in quarantine
• Nine cases have required hospitalisation during this outbreak
• Most cases have occurred in West Auckland with some spread to Central Auckland, North Shore, and Manukau
• There have been seven cases of rubella notified in the region

The measles outbreak is now into its fourth month.

Rubella
Medical Officer of Health, Dr Richard Hoskins says, “Since early August we have been notified of seven rubella cases in the Auckland region, rubella may also be known as German measles. Rubella is a significant disease which can cause severe effects to the unborn child, the risk is highest in the first eight weeks of a woman’s pregnancy; these effects can include deafness, blindness, brain damage and heart defects.

“We recommend all pregnant women or those who intend to become pregnant check their immune status by calling their GP or Family Planning. The measles, mumps & rubella (MMR) vaccine is the only protection against rubella.

“Rubella symptoms can include a mild illness with a rash, fever and swollen glands in children and a rash, swollen glands and joint pain in teenagers and adults”.

For further information about rubella visit
www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/immunisation-diseasesandvaccines-rubella

Measles
Medical Officer of Health Dr Richard Hoskins says “Currently five schools and preschools have been asked to advise parents to exclude their child if their child has not been fully immunised (two measles vaccines).

“To check if your child is up-to-date with their immunisations contact your GP. This information can also be found in your Well Child Health Book or if your child is under seven years old you can check the National Immunisation Register by calling:

• Waitemata DHB NIR (09) 838 1852
• Auckland DHB NIR (09) 638 0393 or (09) 638 0394
• Counties Manukau DHB NIR 0800 454 375

Measles is highly infectious so please phone your doctor or GP first before going to the surgery; symptoms include fever, cough, blocked nose, sore red eyes. If you think you or anyone in your family might have measles, contact your doctor or Healthline on 0800 611 116, for advice.” says Dr Hoskins

ENDS

For more information, call:
Jessie Sampson
Cell 021 2432421
or
Cell 021 938431

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Measles Fact Sheets
www.arphs.govt.nz/notifiable/measles.asp

Call Healthline for free health advice
Healthline (0800 611 116) is a free 24-hour telephone health information service. The service is staffed by registered nurses who will assess your health needs, and give information and advice to help you decide on the best level of care.

If you think you or someone in your care has measles
Prompt identification can help limit the spread of measles to others. If you oranyone in your care displays common symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, sore eyes and fever, followed by a raised red rash that starts on the face and moves to cover the rest of the body, seek immediate medical help – contact Healthline on 0800 611 116 or your local doctor.

Phone ahead before visiting a doctor to minimise the spread of infection to others in the waiting room. It is also important that if you suspect you may have measles, or you have had contact with someone suspected to have measles and you are not immune, that you remain in isolation to limit the spread of the disease.

How do I know if I’m immune?
People born before 1969 or who have received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) or who have had measles in the past are considered to be immune.

Get immunised
Immunisation is the only effective way to protect against the disease. If you or any children in your care are not up to date with immunisations, then contact your GP or practice nurse and arrange to catch up as soon as possible. MMR is given in two doses, normally at 15 months and 4 years of age giving over 95% protection. However, it’s never too late to get immunised.

More information on immunisation
For information on immunisation, phone the Immunisation Advisory Centre free on 0800 IMMUNE (0800 466 863) or visit them at http://www.immune.org.nz/.

Interpreters
Healthline’s Language Line operates Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. When you call Healthline during these hours, the nurse or call handler can usually arrange for an interpreter. Outside these hours Healthline uses other interpreter services as far as possible. It is not always possible to locate an interpreter in a particular language at short notice.