Five hospitalised: Bay of Plenty measles outbreak likely started in waiting room

Tauranga Hospital, where some people infected with measles have ended up. Photo / file

Bay of Plenty and The Lakes are in the midst of a measles outbreak, with as many as 17 people infected, as of today. Reporter Kiri Gillespie talks to Dr Phil Shoemack, of public health organisation Toi Te Ora, about the outbreak and what people need to do to protect themselves.

We also find out where the measles has come from, who are the main people infected, and how easily it has spread.

One of the main sources of Bay of Plenty's measles outbreak is a medical waiting room.

Public health authority Toi Te Ora confirmed today the number of people with measles in the Bay of Plenty and Lakes districts has now reached 17.

Chief medical officer Dr Phil Shoemack said the increasing number of people with measles was concerning and it was essential people were immunised because the illness was so highly infectious.

"We know four or five cases most likely picked up their infection in a waiting room at one of the medical clinics. Unfortunately, one of our patients, who has since been confirmed as having measles, they presented to the clinic and unknown to the clinic that person was very infectious."

Of the 17 people infected, five have been hospitalised.

Chief medical officer Dr Phil Shoemack says people need to be aware of how infectious measles is and check up on their immunisations. Photo / file

Shoemack said most of the infected were young adults or school-aged children. Most had not been immunised.

Of other sources behind the local outbreak, one involved a person who had returned after travelling through several Asian countries and another person who had come back from the Philippines.

Shoemack said it was fortunate he and his team could track down all other potentially infected people from the waiting room - thanks to medical records - instead of needing to try to locate people from other possible public locations where they could have been infected.

Measles is a life-threatening illness that can stay active in the air up to one hour after an infected person has left the room. The MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine is considered the main source of immunisation against it.

Shoemack and his team have been tasked with piecing together who has been in contact with who, and who might be infected in relation to the incubation time of the virus.

Once a person contracts measles, it can be 10 to 14 days before they begin seeing symptoms. Such symptoms can be fever, cough, runny nose, sore and watery pink eyes and sometimes small white spots on the back inner cheek of your mouth.

Shoemack said he expected the number of people infected would continue to rise.

"Difficult to forecast what could happen but put it this way, we do suspect we are going to get more cases. Whether it's over the next few days or few weeks. It's hard to know when these situations will come to an end."

Shoemack said once someone was immunised against measles, the vaccination was life-long.

People born before January 1, 1969, are considered to be immune because virtually everyone got measles prior to the vaccine being introduced that year, and so this older age group does not need the measles immunisation.

It is particularly important to check your immunity if you are planning an overseas trip.

The Ministry of Health recently highlighted that since 2012, all outbreaks of measles in New Zealand were started by travellers bringing the disease from overseas. There are currently significant measles outbreaks in many countries.

For more information:
· Toi Te Ora Public Health website
· Immunisation Advisory Centre free phone: 0800 IMMUNE (0800 466 863)
· Immunisation Advisory Centre website
· Ministry of Health 2019 measles outbreak information