A warning has been issued over a high school production in the Bay of Islands because of measles being identified in Northland.
Health NZ issued a warning about a new case of measles in the region on Friday, then identified three historic cases on Saturday and a case in Queenstown on Monday.
The cases have been linked to international travel, to places where measles is common.
The National Public Health Service is also working to quickly identify places where the highly infectious disease might have spread, said national clinical director, protection Dr Susan Jack.
The Kerikeri High School production, Monsters, on September 17, has been identified as a close-contact location of interest.
This means anyone who attended the production from 7pm to 8.30pm is considered a close contact of a person with measles and should contact Healthline on 0800-611-116 urgently, if they have not heard from public health already.
Close contacts who are not immune to measles will be advised to quarantine, with all attendees encouraged to monitor for measles symptoms until October 8.
“It is also important you stay home until you have received advice as you may be infectious and could be at risk of passing measles on to others within your community,” Jack said.
Bay of Islands Hospital is also a location of interest, with anyone entering the main entrance between Friday, September 19, at 11.30pm to Saturday, September 20, at 2.30am, or Saturday, September 20, from 1.45pm to 7pm, becoming a casual contact.
Casual contacts do not have to quarantine but are advised to monitor for symptoms until October 11.
Measles symptoms include a fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes and a rash.
There remains a possibility of undetected cases of measles in the Bay of Islands community, Jack said.
“We are strongly encouraging everyone in the area to watch for symptoms, stay home if unwell, and seek advice from your GP/hauora provider or Healthline on 0800 611 116 if they feel unwell,” she said.
“We are deeply grateful to Bay of Islands whānau who have reached out to our staff with information about measles over the past few days. Your support is helping protect the wider community.”
Jack said people were also being urged to get immunised, especially if planning international trips during this school holiday period. Protection was offered with two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Extra vaccination clinics and outreach programmes are continuing throughout Northland, where childhood vaccination rates are the lowest in the country, at 62%.
Ngāti Hine Health Trust vaccinated about 50 people on Monday alone at its Whangārei, Kawakawa and Moerewa clinics, said chief executive Tamati Shepherd-Wipiiti.
It would also be getting out to harder-to-reach areas with a mobile vaccination clinic for the rest of the week, he said.
Shepherd-Wipiiti said there was still a lot of misinformation about the MMR vaccine but it was the best form of protection against measles.
Ngāti Hine Health Trust clinical director Dr Mataroria Lyndon agreed the best form of protection against the serious disease was the MMR vaccination, which is free and safe.
“Measles is highly contagious and can make pēpi, tamariki and adults very unwell,” he said.
“The first signs to look out for are high fever, cough, runny nose, and sore red eyes – followed by a rash that starts on the face and spreads down the body."
Vaccination clinics this week include Ngāti Hine Health Trust’s Moerewa clinic and Hineamaru office in Kawakawa from Monday to Friday, 11am to 5pm.
Its outreach clinics include Waitangi, at Shippey’s Carpark on Te Kemara Ave, from 10am to 4pm on Wednesday, at NorthTec in Kerikeri from 11am to 4pm on Thursday, and Moerewa’s Te Whare Toi Ora on Ranfurly St from 11am to 2pm on Friday.
A Kaikohe Plunket immunisation clinic will be held on Wednesday at the Kaikohe Warehouse/Woolworths car park from 9am to 4.30pm.
Kaikohe Broadway Health will also have an outreach team set up in the front of Broadway Kaikohe from 9am to 4pm Wednesday, including a sausage sizzle and giveaways.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.