Second measles case confirmed in Auckland, patient went to North Shore and Waitakere hospitals and Hobsonville daycare

Health officials are concerned that people at two Auckland emergency departments and a daycare may have come into contact with a person with measles.

The second case of measles in Auckland in a week was confirmed by Te Whatu Ora this afternoon.

It was unrelated to a case detected last Tuesday, but was also linked to overseas travel.

Te Whatu Ora said the latest case was at the North Shore hospital emergency department on Friday night and Waitakere Hospital emergency department on Sunday night.

The person, whose age or gender was not identified, also attended Busy Bees early learning service in Hobsonville from September 19 to 21.

Te Whatu Ora is assessing the immunity of staff and children at the facility, it said in a statement.

The measles case was at North Shore Hospital's emergency department on Friday night. Photo / Dean Purcell

It was also working with public health agencies to identify people who may have come into contact with the person at the hospitals and daycare.

The person was not infectious when they arrived in New Zealand earlier this month, Te Whatu Ora said.

Anyone who was in these locations at the same time as the measles case should be alert to any measles symptoms.

“The first symptoms of measles include a fever, cough, runny nose and sore and watery pink eyes,” said National Public Health Service Northern region medical officer of health Jay Harrower.

“This is followed by a blotchy rash ... The illness spreads very quickly amongst people who aren’t immune.”

Anyone with symptoms should phone their GP or Healthline rather than go to their clinic or an after-hours clinic, Te Whatu Ora said.

People who have already had measles, were born before 1969, or who have received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) are considered immune from measles.

In New Zealand, the two doses of the measles vaccine are offered free at 12 months and 15 months. Two doses of the vaccine provide 99 per cent protection from the disease for life.

“Given that this is the second case in one week from overseas travel, we are reminding people to be up to date with their immunisations,” Harrower said.

“If you are unsure whether you’ve had one or two doses of MMR, there’s no additional risk in getting another dose.”

It is a highly infectious disease. The measles reproductive rate - the average number of people directly infected by a single infectious individual - is between 12 and 15. The Omicron strain of Covid-19 was between 8 and 10.

Measles was detected again in New Zealand in February, the first case since an outbreak of 2200 cases in 2019. The epidemic also spread to Samoa, killing 80 people.

In the four years since that outbreak, vaccination rates in New Zealand have steadily fallen while the public health focus was on Covid-19.