New measles cases confirmed in Hawke’s Bay

1 November, 2019

Two new measles case have been confirmed in Hawke’s Bay this week, taking the total number of measles cases in Hawke’s Bay, this year, to eleven.

Hawke’s Bay District Health Board Medical Officer of Health, Dr Nicholas Jones, said of the new cases; one was an adult and the other a child under five years old.

The contacts of the child have been traced and isolated.

Known contacts of the adult have also been identified and will be contacted by the DHB’s Public Health team to provide advice and understand their immunity status.

Symptoms of measles include a fever of 38.5C or higher along with a runny nose, cough, sore red eyes, followed by a rash three to five days later which starts on the head and spreads down the body

If you are feeling unwell and you think it might be measles, please stay at home and phone your doctor to avoid spreading the illness. Your doctor will make the necessary arrangements to assess you safely without infecting other people. You can also call Healthline for free advice on 0800 611-116.
People are considered immune if they have received two doses of the MMR vaccine, have already had measles, or were born before 1969.
The Immunisation Advisory Centre has provided up-to-date information about measles immunity and the MMR vaccine on their website: https://www.immune.org.nz/hot-topic/measles-overseas-and-new-zealand or www.ourhealthhb.nz .

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