Measles: New outbreak would be worse than 2019, with up to 90 cases a week

Newly released briefings show a new measles outbreak in New Zealand would be far worse than the 2019 epidemic, which hospitalised 700 people here and killed 83 in Samoa . Risks include New Zealand’s low vaccination rate and rising case numbers overseas. It comes after the latest measles scare in Waiheke last week, which was contained without further spread.

A new measles outbreak in New Zealand would be far worse than the 2019 epidemic, with up to 90 cases a week at its peak and tens of millions in costs to the health system. Newly released briefings show the Government has been warned another large outbreak of the highly contagious disease will occur without “urgent and deliberate action”. While the health system has been trying to plug gaps which contributed to the 2019 outbreak, there are still significant risks – in particular a persistently low childhood immunisation rate .



On Friday, Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora said a person with measles on Waiheke Island had completed their isolation period without any further cases being detected. It was the eighth possible measles incursion this year..