The 2019–2020 New Zealand measles outbreak was an

epidemic An epidemic (from Greek ἐπί ''epi'' "upon or above" and δῆμος ''demos'' "people") is the rapid spread of disease to a large number of patients among a given population within an area in a short period of time. Epidemics of infectious ...

that affected

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

, primarily the

Auckland region Auckland () is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, which takes its name from the eponymous urban area. The region encompasses the Auckland Metropolitan Area, smaller towns, rural areas, and the islands of the Hauraki Gulf. Containin ...

. The outbreak was the worst epidemic in New Zealand since an influenza epidemic in 1999, and is the worst

measles Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...

epidemic since 1938. The D8 strain was confirmed to be the main strain of the epidemic, but the B3 strain has also been identified and the epidemic has spread to several other countries. In

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

more than 72 people have died. Cases in

Tonga Tonga (, ; ), officially the Kingdom of Tonga ( to, Puleʻanga Fakatuʻi ʻo Tonga), is a Polynesian country and archipelago. The country has 171 islands – of which 45 are inhabited. Its total surface area is about , scattered over in ...

and

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consis ...

have also been recorded, and an outbreak in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

began in October 2019 after a New Zealander visited while infectious. In New Zealand, two unborn fetuses in second trimester have died as a result of the outbreak.

Policy Response

The New Zealand Government has been criticised for its response to the epidemic, particularly due to shortages in the supply of vaccines. Scientists have also criticised the Ministry of Health for not acting on previous recommendations to conduct national 'catch-up' campaigns with the

MMR vaccine The MMR vaccine is a vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles), abbreviated as ''MMR''. The first dose is generally given to children around 9 months to 15 months of age, with a second dose at 15 months to 6 years of age, ...

prior to the outbreak. In 2017 the New Zealand

Health Ministry A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their o ...

produced documents that showed an urgent need to increase measles immunisation among young people and that a "systematic, programmatic approach" was needed to address an immunity gap. Dr Nikki Turner, Chair of the National Measles Verification Committee, met in 2018 to discuss the immunisation gap. It was noted damage was historical and immunisation rates had improved but by 2019 the gap had not been fully addressed. Many young people did not know if they had been vaccinated which indicated that poor record keeping contributed to ineffective delivery. David Haymen and Turner concluded that the best way to close the immunity gap was to undertake a formal catch-up programme. Research into the 2019 epidemic traced its history and showed it was young infants who were most at risk, followed by teenagers and adults under the age of 30. Analysis by the Immunisation Advisory Centre found that a generation born between 1982 and 2007 had low immunization rates, and vaccination records are incomplete for that period as the National Immunisation Register was introduced in 2005. Research also suggested management strategies such as a national campaign targeting the at-risk age groups; establishment of systems to ensure adequate supplies of vaccines; provision of support for their delivery at the practice level; and creative use of community facilities to improve accessibility. During the

COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand The COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand is part of COVID-19 pandemic, the ongoing pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The first case of the disease in New Zealand was reported ...

, it became apparent that in the drive to obtain a vaccine for that outbreak, there was a stall in getting measles vaccination programmes rolled out effectively. Turner warned that because of this, it was possible that there would be "bigger problems with children dying from measles, and the damage from measles, than Covid." Although New Zealand has had a high demand for the MMR vaccine, resulting in a shortage, there has also been an increase in the number of people who have declined the vaccine since 2017.

Cases

As of 24 February 2020, there had been 2,194 cases of measles reported throughout New Zealand since 1 January 2019. Auckland had been the worst-hit region, with 1,736 cases alone. The New Zealand government activated the National Health Coordination Center in August 2019 to respond to the outbreak.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2019-2020 New Zealand measles outbreak

Disease outbreaks in New Zealand 2019 disasters in New Zealand 2020 disasters in New Zealand

Policy Response

Cases

See also

References