Measles outbreak: Simeon Brown considers early MMR dose for infants

Health Minister Simeon Brown says as the father of a 2-month-old, he understands how concerning the current outbreak is. Photo / Mark Mitchell NZH 24Jul25 - Gary Hollis applauds Simeon Brown for his Auckland speed-limit changes. HBG 02Aug25 - Gynaecological cancers make up one in 10 of all cancer cases in New Zealand and one in 10 of all cancer deaths in women.

The Health Minister is receiving advice on allowing babies to receive the measles vaccine as New Zealand’s outbreak of the disease spreads.

Two new measles cases were announced yesterday, bringing the current outbreak’s total to 13.

Health NZ said the risk of further measles cases, contacts and exposures across the country remains “very high”.

Health Minister Simeon Brown described the outbreak as “very concerning” on Newstalk ZB this morning.

“We have a significant amount of effort being put in by the National Public Health Service to stamp it out. There’s a lot of work being done to contact trace every case.”

There are currently 13 known measles cases, and the number of close contacts has risen to about 2100.

“But the real key message is that vaccination is our best protection against further spread of measles, and to encourage everyone to check their records, and get immunised if you’re not already.”

Brown said he is receiving advice on Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) zero vaccination, which is a vaccination for infants aged 4 months to under 12 months administered during measles outbreaks for added protection.

Young children in New Zealand don’t normally get their first MMR vaccine until they reach 12 months. It is given as part of the National Immunisation Schedule at ages 12 months and 15 months.

Brown said he has asked the National Public Health Service about the possibility of rolling out the zero dose vaccination here to cover younger babies.

“Ultimately, the advice or the early advice I’ve received is that it is an option which will be considered, but there’s also a potential downside in that if children are immunised earlier than one year, then potentially the longer-term immunity isn’t as good or the effectiveness of the vaccine isn’t as good over the longer term.”

Brown said he fully appreciates the concerns of parents because he has a 2-month-old baby himself.

Measles is so infectious that it requires an immunity rate of at least 95% in the community to prevent spread.

“Ultimately, at this stage, very much focused on stamping this outbreak out, and making sure that we get on top of it.

“Look, I think there is a plan in place. Ultimately, we want to avoid what happened back in 2019.”

In 2019, New Zealand had its largest measles outbreak since 1997, which hospitalised 700 people here and killed 83 in Samoa.

“There are a lot of vaccination opportunities, and Health New Zealand is shortly going to be running a national immunisation week to promote immunisation.

“We have huge opportunities through pharmacies, your general practitioner, and there are many opportunities for people to be vaccinated.

“Our hospitals are always under significant pressure, regardless of this outbreak... but that’s why the key message is to check your immunisation status, get immunised.”

Health NZ said getting two doses of the MMR vaccine after 12 months of age protects 99% of people from measles and is free for most people.

Jaime Lyth is a multimedia journalist for the New Zealand Herald, focusing on crime and breaking news. Lyth began working under the NZ Herald masthead in 2021 as a reporter for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei.