Pacific Health Expert Says Auckland Measles Case Is A 'Red Flag'

Tuesday, 13 May 2025, 4:21 pm
Article: RNZ

Teuila Fuatai, RNZ Pacific Senior Journalist
Susana Suisuiki, Pacific Waves Presenter/Producer

A Pacific health expert is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated to keep their families and other Pacific nations safe.

Aotearoa is on alert for measles after a case was identified in Auckland over the weekend.

The country's public health agency issued the alert on Sunday after a ferry worker was identified as infectious with measles while at work and in public.

Measles is a highly infectious and potentially deadly disease. It infects children as well as adults and spreads through coughing, sneezing or talking.

Up to 90 percent of non-immune people - those who have not been vaccinated against measles, or have not had it already - will be infected if exposed to the virus.

Dr Api Talemaitoga said Pacific communities are particularly susceptible to the disease due to low vaccination rates.

In December, 70.4 percent of Pacific babies were fully vaccinated (two measles, mumps and rubella - MMR - shots) at age two, according to health data.

For Māori, the rate was 63.3 percent. Overall, 76.4 percent of two-year-olds were fully vaccinated.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine prevent measles in 95 percent of people over the age of one, and 98 percent of those aged over 18 months.

Dr Talemaitoga said the Auckland case was "a red flag" for Pacific communities.

"Because for Pacific, we know the history of what happened several years ago, where we effectively exported measles to Samoa resulting in the death of 80-plus young children.

"We don't want that to happen."

Cases were reported in American Samoa in 2023.

Dr Talemaitoga said to prevent outbreaks of measles, 95 percent of the population needs to be fully immunised.

A high immunisation rate is also important for preventing the disease from spreading within Pacific families and communities, and to smaller Pacific nations, he said.

"Our islands will really struggle to respond.

"Their health systems are stretched. They do their best with the resources that they've got, and it's fantastic what they can do, but this is like an added burden on already stretched health systems in our Pacific Island nations, and so I think we really need to be careful."

Dr Talemaitoga said Pacific families living in New Zealand must be vigilant.

"Traditionally [in New Zealand], we live in overcrowded houses. We tend to have a lot of family gatherings. And if someone is unknowingly or unwittingly unwell, they can pass on this measles virus to others," he said.

"Pacific people also have higher rates of comorbidities - respiratory problems, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure - things that may lower their immunity and make them more susceptible to the virus."

Vaccinologist professor Helen Petousis-Harris said the latest measles case confirmed in Auckland highlights the "ticking time bomb" of low vaccine rates.

Petousis-Harris told Pacific Waves that measles vaccination numbers have been declining in Aotearoa including among Pasifika communities, and the drop is due to a number of factors.

"We need it to be easy for people to access the services," she said.

"We need to be able to support the frontline services to make sure that they are able to deliver.

"But also, we have had an increase in hesitancy, a loss of trust, and the challenge of misinformation. So, we have got all of these things against us at the moment."

She said the covid pandemic did not help with vaccine rates, but since then they have continued to decline every year.

"We did really well to about 2016 and then they began to decline.

"We are now at a stage where we have extremely low coverage, particularly in some communities.

"For example, among Māori infants at the moment, there could be less than half of them who have received their measles vaccine."

Health New Zealand has published a list of locations the ferry worker was at while infectious from 3-5 May on its website.

All locations of interest are in Auckland.

Anyone who may have been exposed to the disease or has symptoms should call their GP and seek healthcare advice.

Measles symptoms include fever, coughing, a runny nose and watery pink eyes. Those infected can also get small white spots on the back of their inner cheek.

Symptoms start between seven and 18 days after exposure.

Those infected with measles should isolate and stay away from work and school.

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