No cases of measles reported in Rotorua

There have been no reported cases of measles in Rotorua following the recent national outbreak.

But Toi Te Ora Bay of Plenty and Lakes medical officer of health Neil de Wet is urging parents to ensure their children are immunised.

There were two reported cases of measles in the Bay of Plenty in January, after no cases were reported since 2014.

de Wet said the cases were treated seriously and infected people were isolated to stop any chance of spreading.

De Wet said 89 per cent of children within the district were vaccinated. While the aim was to get 95 per cent vaccinated, it was significantly better than 10 years ago when this ranged in the 60 percentile.

He said it was great to see strong support for immunisation in the area.

MMR (mumps, measles and rubella) is the vaccine which protects against measles, typically given at 15-months and 5-years-old. De Wet said the two shots would mean you were immune.

The highly infectious disease spreads through the air by breathing, sneezing or coughing if not immune.

Measles can be serious with about one in 10 people needing to be hospitalised, and more serious cases resulting in deafness or brain swelling.

At least 25 people in Canterbury and one in Auckland have reported infection with the current outbreak of the disease.

Symptoms
-Early symptoms: fever, runny nose, sore red eyes and a cough.
-After three to five days: red, blotchy rash on face and head which spreads down the body