Source: Radio New Zealand
Public health services throughout the country managed 48 cases and more than 7500 contacts, Health NZ said. Supplied/ US CDC
The measles outbreak, which started in September, is officially over, with 42 days since the last confirmed connected case – but risk from the virus remains.
Health NZ’s National Public Health Service, with the support of PHF Science and the Measles Reference Lab at Canterbury Health Laboratories, have traced cases in the outbreak as far back as 1 September 2025, with four separate clusters until 21 December.
Spokesperson Dr Emma Sherwood said over the last four months, public health services throughout the country had managed 48 cases and more than 7500 contacts, which was “a significant achievement”.
“It’s important to acknowledge the coordinated work of the public health service and contact tracing systems, alongside strong community cooperation with isolation requirements, undoubtedly prevented a much larger outbreak similar to 2019.
“It is also heartening that, thanks to a massive immunisation push during this outbreak response, nearly 107,000 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine have been delivered to people across the country over the last four months.”
However, New Zealand remained at continued risk for further outbreaks, with a travel-associated case confirmed in Tauranga last week, and the NPHS continued to closely monitor for and respond to further cases.
“Although the latest Tauranga case and the recent outbreak are not connected, they highlight New Zealand’s ongoing vulnerability to measles infection – particularly as links to overseas travel are a common thread,” Sherwood said.
“It’s highly likely that we will continue to have future measles cases and outbreaks. Many popular travel destinations are experiencing outbreaks, and there is a risk of travellers bringing measles back to New Zealand, where we know we have low immunisation rates in some communities.
“That’s why we continue to urge anyone not already immunised with two doses of the MMR vaccine after 12 months’ old to get vaccinated to protect themselves and loved ones against future outbreaks.”
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
