Fourth measles case in Taranaki concerns Taranaki District Health Board

A 21 year old unvaccinated New Plymouth woman is the latest case of measles in Taranaki. Photo / File.

Taranaki DHB has serious concerns about the rising number of measles cases in Taranaki following confirmation of the fourth in the region; a 29-year-old unvaccinated New Plymouth man.

"All four cases of people with measles in Taranaki were not vaccinated," Dr Jonathan Jarman, Taranaki DHB Medical Officer of Health says. "Three of those people contracted measles after having spent time in Auckland. Two of those cases have been so severe that hospital care was needed. Unfortunately we are getting cases from the large outbreak in Auckland and this is likely to continue."

Dr Jarman thanked all the parents who were making sure their children were vaccinated as it stopped the disease from spreading in Taranaki.

"At this stage we don't have an outbreak here in Taranaki. What we have is the disease coming into the province from another outbreak."

The Ministry of Health is advising people travelling to Auckland, particularly South Auckland, that they should be immunised against measles before they travel and that any babies who are travelling to Auckland should have their first measles vaccine at 12 months rather than 15 months.

Vaccination should be carried out at least two weeks before travelling to allow their immunity to develop.

"Measles is highly infectious and spreads very easily through unvaccinated people. When you vaccinate your child, you're also protecting the people around you, including those who can't be vaccinated and those who have compromised immunity (people receiving cancer treatment)," says Dr Jarman.

Dr Jarman says the Taranaki community needs to achieve public protection or "herd immunity".

This means immunisation coverage of 95 per cent is needed to help shield the population from serious diseases, like measles.

"Vaccination is highly effective and provides immunity for 95 per cent of people after one injection and for 99 per cent of people after two," he explains.

Measles is a severe illness where normally one in 10 people need to be hospitalised.

"The disease is more severe in people aged over 20 and this could explain why two out of the three cases in Taranaki required admission to hospital.

"Measles is highly contagious as it is an airborne disease so if you or anyone you know develops symptoms of measles, please stay at home and call Healthline (0800 611 116) or your doctor to alert them of the illness. Going to these places without speaking to staff over the phone first could put a lot of other people at risk and spread the disease further."

If visiting a doctor, you should call ahead if you suspect you or a family member has measles.

"It is important to give your doctor advance warning before turning up with measles to prevent infecting others in the waiting room."

The Taranaki Public Health Unit is currently following up with people who are known to have been in contact with the most recent Taranaki case, but Dr Jarman says people who are fully vaccinated have nothing to fear from measles.

As well as developing a rash people can suffer from a range of symptoms, including very high temperatures and a hacking cough that lasts for one to two weeks.

Now is also the time to consider if you are immune to measles or not.

• Those born before 1969 are considered immune.

• Those born in 1969 or later are considered 'fully immunised' against measles when they have two documented measles or MMR vaccinations, with the first dose received when aged 12 months or older.

• Evidence suggests that one dose of measles or MMR vaccine protects 95 per cent of people from developing measles. The other five per cent may need a second vaccination to be fully covered.

Those who are unsure of their immunity status should get it checked. This can be done through GPs, though some people may also have physical written records at home – like a Plunket or WellChild book – which may detail their immunisations.

Any child immunised after 2005 will have their immunisations recorded on the National Immunisation Register, which GPs have access to.

For more information, please call Healthline on 0800 611 116, visit the Taranaki DHB or Ministry of Health websites.