Hard work and luck 'staved off measles' | Northland News | Local News in Northland

A combination of good luck and outstanding work by nurses in the general practice stopped the spread of measles in Northland.

Health authorities feared that the first confirmed case- a 14-month-old girl- in Northland may be the start of a large and prolonged outbreak because the region has one of the lowest rates of vaccinations.

Two boys - a  4-month-old and a 10-month-old- were also diagnosed with the disease in August.

Since then, vaccinations helped keep measles under control.

Northland medical officer of health  Jonathan Jarman said  the region was one of five  identified by the Ministry of Health as having the lowest level of measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations.

"Therefore Northland had a high proportion of susceptible children which, of course, is a key ingredient for measles to spread from person to person," Dr Jarman said.

"Nurses in general practice were able to vaccinate hundreds of children during those winter months and I feel that was a major reason why we managed to ward off an epidemic."

He said there was no evidence that the disease  had been transmitted to other people in Northland.

Dr Jarman said measles was no longer a common disease.

"What used to happen prior to the introduction of measles vaccination in New Zealand in 1969 was that there used to be an epidemic every second year or so."

He has urged parents to check their children  are up-to-date with their vaccinations.

Common complications of measles include ear infections, diarrhoea and pneumonia.

The symptoms are high fever, hacking cough, red eyes and running nose.

The infection initially presents as a cold but becomes worse, the rash appearing three or four days after the initial symptoms.

Ear infections, diarrhoea and/or pneumonia are possible complications, while most children take one or two weeks to recover.