The Waikato DHB will ring parents of 3- to 5-year-olds who are overdue for their second MMR vaccination to remind them about the immunisation schedule change. Photo / Andrew Bonallack
The Waikato DHB will ring parents of 3- to 5-year-olds who are overdue for their second MMR vaccination to remind them about the immunisation schedule change. Photo / Andrew Bonallack
The Waikato District Health Board has started a measles, mumps and rubella vaccination telephone campaign to remind parents of 3- to 5 year-olds who are overdue for their second MMR jabs that the immunisation schedule changed in 2020.
The second dose was previously due at 4 years old but, according to the change, it is now due at 15 months. The children who need to catch up with their second vaccination have been identified through the National Immunisation Register.
Meanwhile, the DHB also reminds people to take the flu seriously because it is not a mild illness and the natural immunity of a lot of people will be down due to not having the virus in the country for the past two years due to Covid-19.
Waikato DHB medical officer of health Dr Felicity Dumble says the Covid-19 border closure protected New Zealanders from measles for the past two years.
"But now they've reopened we will be exposed to measles again."
Immunisation records for the Waikato show about 6500 children aged 3 to 5 are due for their second MMR and about 1400 children aged 3 to 5 have missed both MMR vaccinations.
Two-thirds of those who have missed both MMR doses are on record as having declined the vaccination, the DHB says.
The DHB's phone campaign gives parents information about where their children can be vaccinated, but many parents will choose to contact their GP or kaupapa Māori health provider to make a vaccination inquiry or a booking.
The last big measles outbreak in 2019 infected more than 2000 people and 700 had to go to hospital, with Māori and Pacific communities the most affected.
Complications from measles can include ear infections that cause hearing loss, pneumonia and encephalitis which can cause brain damage. Photo / Supplied
According to the DHB, all cases of measles seen in New Zealand are the result of non-immune people bringing the virus into the country from overseas.
Dumble says disease outbreaks can have serious consequences for families and communities.
"We need vaccination rates of 95 per cent to reach 'community immunity', sometimes known as 'herd immunity', to help prevent outbreaks of diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella ... Those who are not immunised, whether that's by choice or other circumstances, are worst affected by these outbreaks."
Complications from measles can include ear infections that cause hearing loss, pneumonia and encephalitis, which can cause brain damage.
Mumps can also cause serious complications such as deafness and meningitis.
Rubella is usually a mild infection that gets better within about seven to 10 days, but for pregnant women it is a serious concern if caught during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy as it can affect the baby's development.
Meanwhile, the DHB reminds people not to forget about the flu virus, also called influenza.
Medical Officer of Health at the Waikato Public Health Unit Dr Richard Vipond says the flu will come to the Waikato, "if it isn't already here and unreported". Photo / Mark Mitchell
Unlike the common cold that many will still have had over the past couple of years, influenza is not a mild illness, the DHB says. Around 500 people die of the virus in New Zealand each year.
The natural immunity of a lot of people will be down due to not being exposed to the virus for two years, which increases the risk of a particularly bad flu season this year.
The medical officer of health at the Waikato Public Health Unit, Dr Richard Vipond, says cases are spreading quickly across the South Island already so it is just a matter of time before it reaches the Waikato.
"Our advice, especially to our more vulnerable populations, is to get the influenza vaccine and to get it as soon as you can. The time to get protected from influenza is before it gets here. Please don't leave it too late."
The flu jab is free for all Māori and Pacific people aged 55 and over, anyone aged 65 and over, pregnant women at any stage of their pregnancy, and those with health conditions such as asthma, emphysema, heart disease, or diabetes.
