Education Sector
Measles is a highly infectious disease and can be more serious than many people realise. Symptoms include fever, cough, red eyes and a runny nose, and then a rash which develops after about 3 days. Complications include middle ear infections, pneumonia, and, more rarely, encephalitis or brain inflammation, and about one in ten people need to be hospitalised. The best measles prevention is the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine which is free for all New Zealand children.
What schools can do
Update immunisation registers
Early Childhood Centres and Primary Schools must maintain their immunisation registers under the Health (Immunisation) Regulations 1995. This allows unimmunised children who have been in contact with someone with measles to be identified quickly to help reduce the risk of further spread. For more information, please view the Immunisation Guidelines for Early Childhood Services and and Primary Schools.
Provide advice in your newsletter
Ask parents and caregivers to check that their child's / children's immunisations are up-to-date. Immunisation is free. Immunisation given on time is the best way to prevent measles. Two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine is 99% effective in preventing measles. The first dose of MMR vaccine is usually given at 15 months of age and the second dose at four years of age. The Ministry of Health requires students who have no proven immunity to measles (through immunisation or previous exposure) to be sent home for two weeks if there is a measles outbreak in their class.
Parents (and staff) should also make sure that they are immune to measles. Anyone who has had measles that was confirmed by a doctor is likely to be immune, and most people born before 1969 will be immune because measles used to be quite common. Everyone else should check that they are up to date with their vaccinations. It is never too late to catch up.
What to do if measles occurs in early childhood education services (ECE) and schools
Once a notification of measles is received by the local public health service, the early childhood service or school the child attends will be contacted urgently by public health staff who will provide information and advice to the manager or principal.
Under the Health (Infectious and Notifiable Diseases) Regulations 1966 (Section 14), a student or teacher with measles must stay away from school or ECE while infectious. Unimmunised children/students, or those with no immunity to measles, who have been close contacts of a measles case during the infectious stages will be excluded from school or ECE service for 14 days from their last contact. This exclusion also applies to students taking part in sporting events.
More information
You can get more information on measles and controlling infectious diseases from the Ministry of Health website.
Also see the latest health update letters from the Ministry of Health to schools and ECEs.
Where to go for more information
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