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STACY SQUIRES/STUFF/Stuff
A measles immunisation. (File photo)
Students and staff at Auckland’s Albany Senior High School are asked to stay away from school as public health staff identify close contacts of a measles case.
A student was at the school while infectious with measles on Thursday and Friday last week. All household contacts are currently in quarantine.
While the school was already closed for a teachers’ only day on Thursday, information has been sent to the school community alerting them to the additional school closure on Friday.
Public health is asking all staff and students to check their immunity and stay home in quarantine if they are not immune.
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People are considered immune if they have evidence of two Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) doses after 12 months of age, having had measles or were born before 1969.
Albany Senior High School has five open-plan halls. The infected student was in all halls while infectious, mixing with a number of year levels and classes.
National public health service interim clinical lead, Dr William Rainger said: “Although many students will be fully vaccinated with two MMR doses, we need to close the school, so we can check the immunity of all 100 staff and 900 students.
“Public health is working as quickly as possible to check immunisation records, and will be in touch with students who are not immune to ask them to remain in quarantine and to provide them with further advice and support.”
Rainger said staff and students who don’t have two MMR vaccinations are asked to stay home and not go to work, or social or sports events, or have visitors.
The quarantine period for non-immune close contacts starts on May 4, and they are required to stay away from others in case they are developing measles for a further seven days.
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The infected student was in all halls while infectious, mixing with a number of year levels and classes. (File photo)
Public Health is currently investigating the source of the infection. The case has not been overseas recently, which means they were infected by someone with measles within New Zealand.
The source of the student’s infection is likely to be a person known to them who has recently travelled abroad.
Rainger said measles is a highly infectious illness and can make people very unwell.
“It spreads very easily amongst people who have not had measles before, or who have not been immunised.”
Parents can check on their children’s immunity by looking in the blue Well Child Tamariki Ora or Plunket Book Child Health or Plunket book or asking their medical centre about vaccination.
Rainger said Aotearoa would continue to see measles cases coming into the country, given high rates of infection in other pockets of the world.
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“If you’re worried about measles in your whānau, the best protection is to be immunised with two doses of the MMR,” he said.
“The vaccine is safe, free and effective. You can get it from your doctor, practice nurse or usual healthcare provider. People over three years old can also be vaccinated at some local pharmacies.”
Tamariki are vaccinated against measles at 12 and 15 months old as part of their routine childhood immunisation.
Rainger advised those under the age of 30 who missed out on their MMR vaccine as a child to get vaccinated.
Anyone with concerns or questions about measles is encouraged to call Healthline on 0800 611 116.
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