I heard on the radio this week that there are now over eight hundred cases of measles in Auckland.
This week Tauranga hosts the Aims Games where thousands of children gather from all over the country (including Auckland) to play sport.
According to the World Health Organisation measles killed 2.6 million children a year in the pre-vaccination era. A June news article regarding the current outbreak reported ESR data stating that so far 43 per cent of cases have required hospitalisation.
When I was a child, parents use to hold chicken pox parties to spread the infection. Now forty years later it's almost like we are holding another one of these parties -- except it's with measles and a whole lot more kids.
Perhaps non-immunised children should being staying away from Tauranga during Aims Games?
Dr Malcolm Scott
Tauranga
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