You may have heard about the measles outbreak in Auckland, which has so far reached almost 1,000 confirmed cases. There has been one confirmed case of an AUT student with measles.
Measles is one of the most contagious viral diseases known. Nine out of ten unprotected people who come into contact with an infected person will get sick. It’s important that we are all vigilant and check our immunity.
You are NOT IMMUNE and are at risk of getting measles if you were born after 1 January 1969 and have not had the MMR vaccine or previously had measles.
You can get a free MMR vaccine (measles, mumps, rubella) if you were born after 1 January 1969 and haven’t already had two recorded doses. You can receive the vaccine by contacting your GP or medical practice.
If you have measles, or might have been exposed to measles and are not immune, you need to notify AUT immediately on 0800 AUT SAFE – 0800 288 7233. You will also need to contact your GP. It’s important to do this by phone as you could potentially infect others by visiting your doctor or emergency department before seeking advice.
You can call Healthline for measles advice on 0800 611 116. You can also use this service in languages other than English. Healthline has interpreters – when your call is answered, say you’d like an interpreter and the language you’d like to speak in.
