IN another few days, Public Health South should know whether there are any more cases of measles in Dunedin.
Otago-Southland medical officer of health Dr John Holmes said an Otago Daily Times article last Saturday, which said those who thought they might have had the disease but had not notified authorities should do so, had not turned up any new cases.
Since the outbreak began in January, with a family of unvaccinated children who visited Vietnam, a total of 31 cases have been recorded, all linked.
Only three adults have had the illness.
Dr Holmes said it would be a few days before it would be known if any people had been infected by the last case. "We're keeping our fingers crossed."
Public Health South has advised parents to ensure their children's vaccinations are up to date.
Adults born before 1969, when vaccinations began in New Zealand, are regarded to be immune to the disease.
Adults may wish to seek vaccinations if they were born after that and do not have a documented history of two doses of the vaccine, are travelling to a place where measles are endemic, or are health workers with patient contact or students in post-secondary education.
In its 2006-10 global plan for reducing deaths from measles, the World Health Organisation and United Nations Childrens Fund identified 47 countries which account for almost all measles deaths.
Many of these countries are in Africa, while others include Pakistan, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Vietnam.
While the number of deaths dropped dramatically in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean region between 2000 and 2007, the death rate is still high in countries such as India, where 130,000 of the 197,000 deaths worldwide occurred in 2007.
