Pacific Health Expert Says Auckland Measles Case Is A ‘Red Flag’

Teuila
Fuatai, RNZ Pacific Senior Journalist
Susana
Suisuiki, Pacific Waves
Presenter/Producer

A
Pacific health expert is encouraging everyone to get
vaccinated to keep their families and other Pacific nations
safe.

Aotearoa is on alert for measles after a case
was identified
in Auckland over the weekend.

The country’s public
health agency issued the alert on Sunday after a ferry
worker was identified as infectious with measles while at
work and in public.

Measles is a highly
infectious and potentially deadly disease. It infects
children as well as adults and spreads through coughing,
sneezing or talking.

Up to 90 percent of non-immune
people – those who have not been vaccinated against measles,
or have not had it already – will be infected if exposed to
the virus.

Dr Api Talemaitoga said Pacific communities
are particularly susceptible to the disease due to low
vaccination rates.

In December, 70.4 percent of
Pacific babies were fully vaccinated (two measles, mumps and
rubella – MMR – shots) at age two, according to health
data.

For Māori, the rate was 63.3 percent. Overall,
76.4 percent of two-year-olds were fully
vaccinated.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine prevent
measles in 95 percent of people over the age of one, and 98
percent of those aged over 18 months.

Dr Talemaitoga
said the Auckland case was “a red flag” for Pacific
communities.

“Because for Pacific, we know the history
of what happened several years ago, where we effectively exported
measles to Samoa resulting in the death of 80-plus young
children.

“We don’t want that to happen.”

Cases
were reported
in American Samoa in 2023.

Dr Talemaitoga said to
prevent outbreaks of measles, 95 percent of the population
needs to be fully immunised.

A high immunisation rate
is also important for preventing the disease from spreading
within Pacific families and communities, and to smaller
Pacific nations, he said.

“Our islands will really
struggle to respond.

“Their health systems are
stretched. They do their best with the resources that
they’ve got, and it’s fantastic what they can do, but this
is like an added burden on already stretched health systems
in our Pacific Island nations, and so I think we really need
to be careful.”

Dr Talemaitoga said Pacific families
living in New Zealand must be vigilant.

“Traditionally
[in New Zealand], we live in overcrowded houses. We tend to
have a lot of family gatherings. And if someone is
unknowingly or unwittingly unwell, they can pass on this
measles virus to others,” he said.

“Pacific people
also have higher rates of comorbidities – respiratory
problems, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure – things
that may lower their immunity and make them more susceptible
to the virus.”

Vaccinologist professor Helen
Petousis-Harris said the latest measles case confirmed in
Auckland highlights the “ticking time bomb” of low vaccine
rates.

Petousis-Harris told Pacific Waves that
measles vaccination numbers have been declining in Aotearoa
including among Pasifika communities, and the drop is due to
a number of factors.

“We need it to be easy for people
to access the services,” she said.

“We need to be able
to support the frontline services to make sure that they are
able to deliver.

“But also, we have had an increase in
hesitancy, a loss of trust, and the challenge of
misinformation. So, we have got all of these things against
us at the moment.”

She said the covid pandemic did not
help with vaccine rates, but since then they have continued
to decline every year.

“We did really well to about
2016 and then they began to decline.

“We are now at a
stage where we have extremely low coverage, particularly in
some communities.

“For example, among Māori infants
at the moment, there could be less than half of them who
have received their measles vaccine.”

Health New
Zealand has published a list
of locations the ferry worker was at while infectious
from 3-5 May on its website.

All locations of interest
are in Auckland.

Anyone who may have been exposed to
the disease or has symptoms should call their GP and seek
healthcare advice.

Measles symptoms include fever,
coughing, a runny nose and watery pink eyes. Those infected
can also get small white spots on the back of their inner
cheek.

Symptoms start between seven and 18 days after
exposure.

Those infected with measles should isolate
and stay away from work and
school.

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