Whanganui health professionals concerned about measles as uptake of MMR vaccine declines

Immunisation rates for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in Whanganui have dropped well below the 95 per cent target. Photo / 123rf

Low immunisation rates for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are making a boost in child vaccinations a priority for health professionals.

A study by the University of Otago found that in Whanganui, the first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine declined from 92.2 per cent of children born in 2017 to 85.3 per cent of children born in 2020.

The study was carried out for children under 5 years old.

Lead author Dr Nienke Hagedoorn said Whanganui’s vaccination rate had dropped further than the declining national average.

Between 2017 and 2020 there was a 6.2 per cent national decrease recorded for the first dose of the MMR vaccine, whereas in Whanganui there was a larger 6.9 per cent drop from 2017 to 2022.

Hagedoorn said a 95 per cent vaccination rate was needed to minimise community transmission.

“At the moment we’re not close to the 95 per cent target, especially in the young age group.”

Ruapehu Health clinical service manager Tracy Mitchell said in her 30 years of work in primary care there had always been a battle against misinformation on vaccinations.

“I think when you present the facts about the illnesses then most parents make the decision to vaccinate if they’re fully informed.”

Mitchell said staff at Ruapehu Health had been “actively trying” to recall people who were eligible for the vaccine.

“Any unvaccinated child is at risk and we know how contagious the illness is.”

Whanganui Regional Health Network immunisation co-ordinator Nicola Metcalfe said a “one-size-fits-all” approach was no longer working for many communities around New Zealand.

“Vaccines need to be offered at the right place at the right time by the right people.”

Metcalfe said the pandemic had impacted immunisation services, as many parts of the health workforce were redirected to help with the Covid vaccination drive.

“Some misinformation regarding the MMR vaccine has persisted over the past few years,” she said.

“Even though it has been disproven by research, myths can linger and make it difficult for whānau to make informed decisions around vaccination.”

Metcalfe said the Whanganui iwi-governed health and social service provider Te Oranganui was currently leading a comprehensive MMR kaupapa which would look at multi-faceted ways of improving vaccination rates via a whānau ora approach that wove immunisation into a larger wellbeing model.

Hagedoorn said although Covid disruptions to the health system may have played a part, there had already been a pre-pandemic trend of declining immunisation rates.

“I think we need to ensure equal access to vaccines across the country.”

Hagedoorn said young children would become “very ill” if they contracted measles and that it would take a measles outbreak to increase people’s awareness of the disease.

“It would be better if we can prevent that by happening through increasing the vaccination coverage.”

Anyone who wants more information about the MMR vaccine or to find out if their child is due for the MMR vaccine should contact their GP.