There has already been one confirmed case of measles in the country this year and two instances where passengers bound for New Zealand were potentially exposed to the disease, which is much more contagious than Covid-19, on international flights.
New Zealand’s vulnerability to a major measles outbreak because of its low vaccination rates is well known, but attempts to address this have been inadequate.
The emphasis on Covid-19 vaccinations has been blamed for the failure of the catch-up measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) campaign announced in February 2020.
It was aimed at the estimated 300,000 then 15 to 30-year-olds who might not be fully protected from the disease.
Up until 1990 it had been standard practice to give one vaccination rather than two.
Also, some young people may not have been vaccinated as a result of spurious claims made about the vaccine in the 1990s.
When the campaign fizzled out last June, a mere 7% of the estimated target had been vaccinated, totalling 23,595 doses. It has also been reported that $8million worth of vaccines had to be destroyed.
As well as the patchy coverage for those young adults, vaccination rates for young children are poor.
Figures released recently show in the 12 months to last December only 67.5% of infants reaching 18 months had received all of the relevant vaccinations on the immunisation schedule. (The MMR vaccine is scheduled for delivery at 12 and 15 months.)
The last major outbreak in New Zealand in 2019 resulted in more than 700 hospital admissions and 2185 notified cases spread over 17 then district health board areas (including Southern).
Most cases were in the Auckland region, disproportionately affecting Māori and Pacific populations.
It is also likely the disease spread from here to Samoa, where 83 people, many of them children, died.
A review of the handling of the New Zealand outbreak showed a shambolic response with poor planning, confused communication, slow and inadequate co-ordination of relevant organisations and a lack of clarity around responsibilities.
We would hope much has been learned from the Covid-19 response which can be applied should there be a measles outbreak.
The best defence to the illness coming in from overseas is good vaccine coverage.
The highly effective MMR vaccine, providing 95% protection after one dose and 99% after two, means measles is classed as a vaccine-preventable disease by the World Health Organisation, targeted for elimination in most regions.
Its transmission declined due to Covid-19 response measures, including physical distancing, mask use and international travel restrictions.
However, now those restrictions have eased, the WHO says the risk has increased because millions of children have missed measles vaccines.
Te Whatu Ora has said a new push to boost vaccinations will be launched soon.
This time it must be effective.
And another thing
Those inclined to think Covid-19 has all but disappeared should note there were 9100 new cases reported in the week to last Sunday. That figure included 951 cases in the Southern area, the second-highest number for any region. Canterbury topped the numbers with 1513 new cases.
From April 1 , people aged 30 or more, who have not had a booster or positive Covid-19 test in the past six months will be eligible for the new bivalent vaccine against the coronavirus.
From the beginning of this month those eligible for a booster would be able to get the new vaccine.
This vaccine uses components of two strains of the virus, the original strain of Covid-19 and Omicron.
These vaccinations will be offered alongside flu shots for superannuitants eligible for them.
Over time it seems likely an annual booster for Covid-19 may become as commonplace and well-accepted as the yearly seasonal flu vaccine.
