Public Health Measures Stand Down Following Auckland Measles Case
Health authorities have ended the public health response to measles, as no additional cases have been found roughly two and a half weeks following the identification of the initial case in Auckland.
A case associated with international travel was notified to the National Public Health Service (NPHS) on May 10th, which led health workers to reach out to 290 individuals recognized as close contacts.
The initial instance had traveled to several places, with the first known exposure occurring as far back as May 3rd.
A total of one hundred and sixty-five close contacts who were identified were instructed to quarantine as a precautionary measure.
NPHS said in a statement on Tuesday that it now had good reason to stand down the response.
"Given that the initial patient is no longer contagious and has been discharged from isolation, along with all but a handful of the 165 individuals in quarantine being cleared without detecting additional cases, NPHS believes the risk posed by this instance is minimal," stated Dr Emma Sherwood, the agency’s medical officer of health.
"As always, we're prepared to jump back into action if any new cases pop up," she stated.
Measles is extremely infectious, and as many as 90 percent of individuals without immunity (who haven’t received the vaccine or previously contracted measles) can get sick when exposed to the virus.
Approximately 80 percent of New Zealand residents have immunity, which falls short of the required 95 percent coverage needed to stop an outbreak.
Doctor Sherwood stated that the latest instance serves as an important reminder of how crucial it is to get vaccinated against measles.
Especially crucial for infants, young kids, and individuals born from 1969 to 2004 is immunization; numerous people within this group probably received just a single dosage of the vaccine.
“And following this latest case being handled abroad, we keep encouraging everyone planning international travel to ensure they’re current with their MMR vaccination,” she stated.
Dr Sherwood said they would like to thank everyone across who has played a part in ensuring that exposures related to the Auckland case did not result in a large outbreak.
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