Concerns Northland may have been facing an outbreak of mumps cases have eased even as the large number of cases in Auckland has been declared an epidemic.
Even with a flat period in Northland where the number of confirmed cases has not grown, the message from doctors and health officials is still loudly, ''get immunised''.
In the year to date, Northland District Health Board has had 59 notifications of suspected mumps, 26 of which were confirmed and five described as probable.
In the last three months, there have been 30 notifications, of which 12 were confirmed mumps and two were ''probable'' cases.
''This shows our GPs are actively notifying us of suspected cases, which is very positive,'' a health board statement said. Auckland's mumps epidemic is likely to give rise to a strong vaccination campaign to stop it spreading across New Zealand, health experts say.
More than 1000 people have caught mumps in Auckland this year, with the number of cases almost doubling since the start of October. It has been given epidemic status because its spread cannot now be contained.
With current measures to contain the disease having little impact, a more high-profile vaccination campaign was needed, district health board and Ministry of Health officials said.
About 80 per cent of current cases were in people not immunised, including among a so-called "lost generation" of 10-29-year-olds with particularly low rates of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccination.
Mumps can cause painful swelling of the gland around the face and jaw, fever and headaches. The measles, mumps and rubella vaccination is free from doctors.