NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Measles outbreak affecting Rotorua indirectly, measles jabs wanted

Samantha Olley
By Samantha Olley
Rotorua Daily Post·
20 May, 2019 08:00 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Utana Aitupuna with Amelia-Joy Tuakeu, 4, and Zipporah-Reign Tuakeu, 5 months. Photo / Stephen Parker

Utana Aitupuna with Amelia-Joy Tuakeu, 4, and Zipporah-Reign Tuakeu, 5 months. Photo / Stephen Parker

"Measles is one of the most infectious viruses on Earth, and possibly the most contagious among people." That's according to Professor David Hayman, a director at Massey University's Infectious Disease Research Centre. Now Rotorua is geographically right in the middle of the latest outbreak in the Lakes and Bay of Plenty District Health Boards but no cases have been detected in the city so far. Nonetheless, the close threat has put extra pressure on Rotorua medical centres to respond to urgent requests for vaccinations for those unprotected.

Rotorua medical centres have seen a rise in parents and adults catching up on their measles vaccines, after an outbreak of the disease in the Bay of Plenty and Taupō regions.

The demand for the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is significantly higher than usual in the Lakes and Bay of Plenty District Health Boards, according to the New Zealand Immunisation Advisory Centre.

Since April 1, there have been 19 measles cases in the Western Bay of Plenty, and four in Taupō, leaving Rotorua right in the middle.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Most cases have been in young adults and children - the age groups most likely to be unvaccinated - and eight people have been hospitalised.

Toi Te Ora Public Health's Medical Officer of Health, Dr Jim Miller, said of the affected people that 15 were not vaccinated and six had an unknown immunisation status.

Dr Jim Miller. Photo / File
Dr Jim Miller. Photo / File

He said immunisation provided 95 to 99 per cent protection.

"What is clear, however, is that our current immunisation uptake locally is not high enough to prevent small clusters of cases whenever an infection is brought into the district, usually from overseas."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Dr Jim Miller. Photo / File
Dr Jim Miller. Photo / File

He said people born before 1969 were also considered to be immune because virtually everyone got measles then.

Ranolf Medical Centre general practitioner Dr Harry Pert said the centre had been getting two to three vaccination inquiries a day for the past month.

Discover more

New Zealand

Miracle survival: The girl who came back from the dead

18 May 09:35 PM
New Zealand

Family of crash victim issues kind message to driver

16 May 02:28 AM
New Zealand

Fifth measles case confirmed in Northland, with day care centre latest focus

31 May 01:52 AM
New Zealand

Community comes together at Hīkoi 4 Life

08 Jun 03:59 AM

Centres are prioritising vaccinating infants and children under 4 because the national supply is under pressure.

"The next priority is people aged between 4 and 50 who have not had any vaccines. We are not catching up others until vaccine supply improves."

Dr Harry Pert. Photo / File
Dr Harry Pert. Photo / File

He said the demand had been manageable so far.

"But we don't know what will happen with this outbreak. There is the potential for it to get worse. We have a lot of international visitors here ... So we are not complacent by any means."

Pert stressed that if parents suspected their child had measles they should call their clinic and meet a staff member in the car park, rather than bring the child into the waiting room.

"When I was working in a small New Zealand town in the 1990s a child died from the measles and it was such an unnecessary tragedy...There is overwhelming evidence for the safety and effectiveness of these vaccines."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Te Ngae Medical Centre manager Pip Oliver said the centre had put all those outside of the priority groups on a waiting list for now.

"The vaccines are hard to come by at the moment, but when we are provided more we can get the rest of the population done."

Ruatahi Medical Centre manager Raewynne Hayward said things had calmed down.

She said a lot of tertiary students had recently checked on their vaccination status.

Rotorua mother Utana Aitupuna's eight children are all vaccinated, and she said it was not a hard decision.

Her youngest, 5-month-old Zipporah-Reign Tuakeu, has just had her first shot.

Measles in NZ 2016 from The Immunisation Advisory Centre on Vimeo.

Aitupuna said immunising her kids made her feel they were safer.

"I would feel a lot more hesitant about them being at playgroups and school if they weren't."

Aitupuna had found the vaccination process straightforward.

"We always get a message from the doctor just before the kids are due to keep on track."

Dr Helen Petousis-Harris, a senior lecturer in vaccinology at the University of Auckland, told the Rotorua Daily Post that previously New Zealand had managed to stay measles-free when infected international visitors arrived.

"Only if we can get our immunisation rates up a bit higher can we be more confident."

Measles symptoms
Fever
Cough
Runny nose
Sore and watery "pink" eyes
Sometimes small white spots on the back inner cheek of the mouth
Days 3-7 a blotchy rash can form on the face, behind the ears, over the head, and down the body, lasting up to a week

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'He’s dealing with so much': Family of brave Connor, 8, cherishing final moments

01 Jul 07:00 PM
New Zealand

Road closed: Pedestrian hit in central Rotorua

01 Jul 06:48 PM
Premium
Opinion

No mean feet: Our obsession with parking on footpaths is getting worse

01 Jul 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Road closed: Pedestrian hit in central Rotorua

Road closed: Pedestrian hit in central Rotorua

01 Jul 06:48 PM

Police were called to the scene around 6am today.

Premium
No mean feet: Our obsession with parking on footpaths is getting worse

No mean feet: Our obsession with parking on footpaths is getting worse

01 Jul 06:00 PM
Covid-19 and flu infections rise in Western BOP

Covid-19 and flu infections rise in Western BOP

01 Jul 06:00 PM
'I just want to be here': 22yo facing cancer for fifth time seeks treatment in Mexico

'I just want to be here': 22yo facing cancer for fifth time seeks treatment in Mexico

01 Jul 06:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP