June 21, 2019
Measles response stepped up as South Auckland hit
Medical authorities are encouraging whānau to complete immunisations for their tamariki early as measles cases spike in south Auckland.
Last week 13 of the 14 new cases were in the region, and all but one were Māori or Pasifika.
National Hauora Coalition clinical director David Jansen, says anyone who is not immunised can get a dose of vaccine, although people born before 1969 are almost certain to have had a bout while young so should be immune.
He says in the early stages of this year's outbreak the advice was to isolate people who may have been in contact with the disease, but that is now over.
"When you're starting to talk about hundreds of people with measles we move to a slightly different phase. That's why we've ended up going 'let's get those 15 month things done early, that's a protective as anything now for kids. It certainly is spreading in communities now so we are certainly going to see these numbers for a few more weeks actually," Dr Jansen says.
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