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Immunisation

Measles

Virus

Measles is a highly infectious viral infection. The last epidemic of measles in New Zealand was in 1997 when about 2000 people, mostly babies and children were infected, with over 300 people needing hospital care. Before immunisation almost all children caught measles.

Vaccine

This disease is covered on the New Zealand Immunisation Schedule. The vaccine used is M-M-R® II.

How it is spread

It is easily spread from person to person through the air by breathing, coughing and sneezing.


The symptoms and illness

Measles usually causes a rash, high fever, runny nose, cough and sore watery eyes.

Warning: Some of these photos are quite graphic.

Click on the picture below to enlarge images.


Pictures courtesy of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Severe risks associated with measles
  • About one in 10 cases gets pneumonia, ear infection or diarrhoea.
  • One in 1000 cases gets encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) of whom 15 in 100 people die and 25–35 people in 100 are left with permanent brain damage.
  • One in 1000 children may die.
  • One to four per 100,000 get subacute sclerosing panencephalitis several years after infection. This disease destroys the brain.

Severe risks associated with the vaccine
  • Convulsions associated with fever may occur (a rate of one convulsion in 3000 vaccinations given has been reported).
  • After a first dose of M-M-R® ll, thrombocytopaenia (low platelets causing bruising or bleeding which may last for a few weeks) may occur. A rate of one case in 30,000 vaccinations has been reported.
  • Encephalitis occurs in less than one in a million. There may be some long-term effects from this.
  • There has been no link found between M-M-R® ll vaccine and the development of autism in children.

Latest information on Measles


8 Sept: Media Release - Protection from measles for more young people

19 August: Unimmunised children excluded from class in measles outbreak

6 August: Media release - Measles outbreak prompts vaccination push (links to beehive.govt.nz website)

20 July: Media release - Reminder to get immunised



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Page last updated: 13 November 2009


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