Published: 22 March, 2019
MEASLES
SUMMARY
- Measles is highly contagious – and easily preventable.
- It affects both children and adults.
- 2 doses of the measles vaccine provides the most effective protection for yourself, your family and the wider community. After 2 doses of the MMR vaccine, more than 95% of people are protected from measles.
- In New Zealand, if you were born in 1969 or later, you can get the measles vaccine for free.
- Vaccination is particularly important if you are planning to travel anywhere overseas – to protect yourself and to help prevent outbreaks in New Zealand.
- The number of confirmed cases of measles in Canterbury now stands at twenty-five and is likely to rise further over the coming days and weeks. It can now be assumed that measles is circulating widely in our community.
- Under-immunised people who come within two metres of an infectious person, however briefly, have a 90% chance of contracting measles.
- Measles is a serious, highly infectious, potentially life-threatening disease. Up to 30 percent will develop complications – usually children under five. Measles during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, premature labour and low birth-weight in babies.
- Under-immunised people exposed to measles first develop a respiratory type illness with dry cough or runny nose or conjunctivitis and a temperature over 38.5 C and a rash. People are considered infectious from 5 days before, until 5 days after, the rash first appears.
- The best protection is for people born after 1969 is to have had two MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccinations.
How measles spreads
Measles is a highly infectious virus that spreads easily from person to person through the air, via breathing, coughing and sneezing. It affects both children and adults.
If you catch measles you are infectious 5 days before and until 5 days after the rash appears.
Anyone with measles needs to be isolated from the time they become ill until 5 days after the rash has appeared. Isolation means staying at home and missing out on things like school, work, sporting competitions and social events.
It is extremely important to stay in isolation if you’re asked to do so, to protect vulnerable people including babies, pregnant women, cancer patients and others who are unable to be immunised.
If you are exposed to measles and can’t prove that you’re immune (for example, by showing your immunisation record), you’ll need to be isolated for at least 14 days.
Schools and child care centres have the legal power to exclude unvaccinated children when there is a risk of measles being spread.
Measles complications
Measles can be life threatening: about 1 in 10 people with measles will need hospital treatment.
Measles can also lead to other complications, including:
- ear infections (which can cause permanent hearing loss)
- diarrhoea
- pneumonia
- seizures
- swelling of the brain – this is rare, but can cause permanent brain damage or death.
Up to 30% of people with measles will develop complications – usually children under 5 and adults over the age of 20.
Measles during pregnancy increases the risk of miscarriage, premature labour and low birth-weight babies.