Ministry issues warning on measles

A rapid rise in the number of cases of measles is a reminder for parents to make sure that their children's immunisations are up to date, say health officials.

There have been 90 notified measles cases so far this year - more than seven times higher than the total number of cases for all of last year, according to the Ministry of Health.

The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was very effective if children got it on time at 15 months and four years of age, and once fully immunised, 90 to 95 per cent of children were protected from measles, said the ministry's chief adviser for population health, Greg Simmons.

"Talk to your family doctor or practice nurse if your child is behind with an immunisation - it's never too late to catch up," he said.

If parents suspected their child had measles they should phone a doctor first, rather than taking the child in, because measles was so infectious, Dr Simmons said.

Measles usually starts with a fever, conjunctivitis (red eyes), runny nose and small, irregular, bright red spots with a small white speck on the inside of the mouth.

The red rash that people associate with measles may not appear until several days after the first symptoms show.

A fever might not appear until 10-12 days after a person is infected and the characteristic measles rash can take several more days to develop.

A person is infectious from one day before the start of symptoms to four days after the appearance of the rash.

Measles can lead to ear infections, pneumonia and diarrhoea, and in some cases serious complications like inflammation of the brain.

- NZPA