Teens directed to seek measles shots

Pat Tuohy
Pat Tuohy
The Ministry of Health is urging young people aged between 13 and 20 to get their measles vaccinations up to date, as concerns increase about the possibility of a measles epidemic in this age group.

Next week, general practices will begin actively contacting all unimmunised patients in this group and offering them the free vaccination.

Ministry of Health child and youth health chief adviser Dr Pat Tuohy said this week that with end-of-year exams fast approaching, getting immunised could ensure tertiary students did not have to take time off study and lectures.

"While by law we can't exclude unimmunised tertiary students who come into contact with measles, we will be asking them to stay home to stop this disease from spreading," Dr Tuohy said.

Parents have been warned that unimmunised children, or those with no proven immunity to the disease, will be excluded from school for two weeks if a child in their class gets measles.

Dr Tuohy said there was a more than 90% chance that an unimmunised person would catch measles if they came into contact with someone who was infected.

About one person in 1000 people who gets measles was likely to die from the disease.

Two doses of the measles mumps rubella (MMR) vaccine were needed to give the best protection.

Since early last month, health professionals had been contacting and immunising children aged 1-12 who had not received their first dose of the MMR vaccine.

The MMR vaccine is routinely given at the age of 15 months and 4 years.

Where possible, patients under the age of 40, who had no record of having had MMR or measles, were also vaccinated.

Student Health Services in Dunedin are recommending catch-up measles vaccinations for students who may not have been vaccinated against the disease, or whose lack of immunity has shown up in routine health science screening.

The most recent report, from Crown research institute Environmental Science and Research recording cases during the week to August 28, showed there were 25 new cases notified.

Most of them were in the Canterbury district.

No cases were recorded in Otago for that period.

Of the 153 confirmed and probable cases nationally since May, 88 patients had not been vaccinated.

This included 18 cases in children younger than the 15 months when the first dose is usually given.

- elspeth.mclean@odt.co.nz

Add a Comment