Baby among 28 sick after outbreak of measles

A nine-month-old baby was admitted to hospital with a severe case of measles after catching the highly infectious virus during an outbreak in rural Northland.

Health authorities are bracing for a much wider spread of the outbreak, so far centred on the Hokianga area.

The baby's father, who asked not to be named, said yesterday his partner and the child had been very sick.

"My boy and my missus were hammered hard by it," the man said.

They were admitted to Hokianga Hospital in Rawene at the weekend and spent two days there, but were now at home and recovering.

The Northland District Health Board says the outbreak is mainly confined to what they call a large, alternative lifestyle, extended Pakeha family in an isolated part of the Hokianga and their associates, although it is thought the virus may have spread to Wellington where at least one case is under investigation.

The southern connection is thought to have been the Wellington District Court case last month in which Hokianga farmer Sam Land and two other men were acquitted after admitting damaging the spy base near Blenheim.

The Herald source, whose partner is related to Mr Land, said around 20 supporters went to Wellington for the case and he believed they brought the virus back with them.

But Northland medical officer of health Dr Jonathan Jarman said the outbreak, which had infected 28 people, mostly aged under 20, began in February when a person returned from India with the virus.

Dr Jarman said it was unnecessary to consider closing schools as the affected community's children were home-schooled.

The DHB became aware of the outbreak last week.

In addition to the suspected "one or more" cases in Wellington, Dr Jarman was "very concerned" by the prospect of a wider Northland outbreak.

"The crunch time is this weekend over Easter because there was a social event seven to eight days ago in Hokianga. A number of sick children from this extended family attended and there were quite a number of people from the wider Hokianga there."

If people were going to become sick that would happen in the next day or so because of the incubation period, he said. The DHB has asked Northland's primary healthcare centres to recall patients aged 12 months to 20 years who have not received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and offer it; and offer it to unvaccinated adults born after 1969 when they next see a health worker.

SYMPTOMS
* High fever
* Hacking cough
* Red eyes
* Running nose
* Rash for 4-6 days