Two unborn babies have died after their mothers caught measles during the recent outbreak of the disease.
Auckland health officials, in their latest update, confirmed five pregnant woman have caught measles and two of those fetuses died.
Dr Karen Bartholomew, Waitematā and Auckland DHB director of health outcomes, said while it they could not say for sure the unborn babies died from measles, their deaths were associated with the mothers who were being treated for it.
Meanwhile, Auckland Regional Public Health Service is cautiously optimistic that the number of measles cases in Auckland is on the decline.
Medical officer of health Dr William Rainger said less cases were presenting each week than when it peaked at the end of August.
Between 35% to 40% of people with measles have been hospitalised during February to mid-September - much higher than previous outbreaks where only about 10 per cent of those who contract it ended up in hospital.
Between January 1 and September 26 there have been 1498 confirmed cases of measles notified across New Zealand, according to the Ministry of Health, with 1246 cases occurring in Auckland.
Double the number of people have been hospitalised with measles than usual.
Bartholomew said about half of those admitted to hospital were children. There was also a much higher number of Maori and Pacific Island people hospitalised than any other ethnicities.
