Measles force schools to scrap assemblies

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At least one Waikato school has cancelled its assemblies and postponed a disco to prevent the spread of measles.

Te Awamutu Primary School has not held an assembly since the beginning of term three, 11 days ago, because 25 of the school's 500 pupils were not immunised against the highly infectious virus.

And a fundraising disco planned for tomorrow night has been postponed while the school awaits an update on the outbreak.

A second wave of measles cases brought the total number of confirmed cases in the Waikato to 17 following an outbreak in Te Awamutu at the end of the school holidays.

The six new cases were unimmunised teenagers and children who were siblings of the first victims. One of the 17 infected was admitted to hospital.

Te Awamutu principal Gareth Duncan said he had taken advice from medical officer of health Dr Dell Hood early in the outbreak about preventing the spread by avoiding situations such as large gatherings of students.

Instead, Mr Duncan is broadcasting the assembly information directly into the classrooms via the school's radio station.

At Te Awamutu College, where the 11 teenagers first infected study, acting principal Neil Bauernfeind said the school had not been advised to take the precaution but it had taken other action such as warning parents of the risks to unimmunised children.

Some of the teens first infected were now back at school.

So far this year there have been 181 confirmed cases of measles in New Zealand, including 104 in Greater Auckland.

Of those, 19 were admitted to hospital.