Australian Measles Case Prompts Caution In New Zealand

A case of measles in Melbourne reported at the end of
January is prompting a caution in New Zealand as passengers
on the same flight may have been exposed.

Health
agencies are asking anyone on an international flight from
Abu Dhabi to Melbourne arriving at 6am on 28 January, and
who then flew on to New Zealand and has not yet contacted by
NZ Health officials, to please contact Healthline.

The
call follows confirmation of a case of measles in Australia
linked to the flight.

Ministry of Health – Manatū
Hauora and Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora say there are
no reported cases of measles in New Zealand.

As a
result of a warning alert from the Australian Health
authorities on Thursday evening, 36 travellers thought to be
most at risk from potential exposure have now been contacted
and advised of precautions to limit the risk of spread of
measles.

The National Public Health Service within Te
Whatu Ora have made the calls to check immunity, offer
vaccination where appropriate, and also advise on a short
period of quarantine where this is
recommended.

Symptoms of measles can develop between 7
to 18 days after exposure.

The person with measles
remains in Australia.

New Zealand health services
remain in contact with their Australian counterparts to
monitor any further developments.

Initially health
services here understood that all the ongoing travellers to
New Zealand from that flight had been identified, though
authorities are now aware that some travellers may have also
been on other flights to New Zealand which is now prompting
a broader alert.

At this stage, the public health risk
associated with these close contacts is considered low but
this is a timely reminder that New Zealand remains at risk
of measles being imported into New Zealand following
international travel.

The best protection against
measles is to be vaccinated with two doses of the measles,
mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. The MMR vaccine is
free.

If you or your anyone in your whānau born after
1969 has not had an MMR vaccine, or aren’t sure, ask your
GP, parent or caregiver.

If you are travelling
overseas with children, please check their vaccines are up
to date before leaving. Outbreaks of measles have been
recently reported in Asia, Africa, Europe, and the USA.
Travel to these regions may put unvaccinated children at
risk of infection and increase the risk of importation of
measles into New Zealand.

If an imported case is
confirmed, it is important to act quickly to limit its
spread.

Because measles is so infectious, it’s
important that infected people isolate – staying at home
from school or work. People who are infectious will need to
isolate from the time that they may have become infected
until four days after the rash first appears.

It’s
also very important people with symptoms don’t visit their
GP or after-hours clinics but phone their family doctor/GP
team for advice instead, to limit further exposure to other
people. In the first instance contact Healthline for advice
on 0800 611 116 for advice if symptomatic and for advice on
where to get vaccinated.

New Zealand is one of 81
countries verified by the World Health Organization (WHO) as
having eliminated endemic measles. New Zealand has not seen
sustained transmission of measles in the community for
longer than a year since 2014 – our formal recognition of
measles elimination by the WHO was in 2017.

The MMR
vaccine is free. If you or your anyone in your whānau born
after 1969 has not had an MMR vaccine, or aren’t sure, ask
your GP, parent or caregiver.

The first symptoms of
measles include a fever, cough, runny nose and sore and
watery ‘pink’ eyes. This is followed by a blotchy rash.
If you catch measles you’re infectious 4 days before and
until 5 days after the rash appears.

People are
considered immune if they have received two doses of
measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, have had a measles
illness previously, or were born before
1969.

Flight details

https://www.health.vic.gov.au/health-alerts/new-measles-case-in-victoria-2023

Information
about measles

https://www.health.govt.nz/your-health/conditions-and-treatments/diseases-and-illnesses/measles#:~:text=Symptoms%20include%20fever%2C%20cold%2Dlike,risk%20of%20getting%20severely%20unwell.

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