Measles is a serious and highly contagious disease. We have 3 new measles cases in Auckland, linked to recent overseas travel. Check the new locations of interest, mostly around North-West Auckland from 16 to 24 February. If you were at a location of interest, monitor for symptoms, and check your immunisations are up to date. If you think you have measles, stay home, and call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or your usual healthcare provider.
Measles immunity
Measles is very contagious, which means it spreads easily between people who are not immune. Being immune to measles means you are protected from getting infected and spreading the disease to other people.
Importance of being immune to measles
Measles is a serious and very contagious illness. It makes most people very sick and can cause severe complications, including:
- damage to the lungs (pneumonia)
- brain swelling (encephalitis).
Measles can sometimes cause death.
Measles also affects your immune system. So, if you get measles, you are more likely to get other infectious illnesses for months or years afterwards.
Aotearoa New Zealand is at a very high risk of a large measles outbreak. Measles cases are rising worldwide. This increases the risk of an infected person bringing measles into the country.
Not enough people in Aotearoa have had both doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Because of this, immunity levels remain too low to prevent an outbreak.
A person can be infectious before they develop measles symptoms and know they are sick. So you may not know if, or when, you have been exposed to the illness.
About measles — Symptoms of measles
Being immune to measles is important. If you are immune and you are exposed to someone with measles you will not:
- get sick
- be at risk of passing the illness on to others
- need to stay home in quarantine if the public health service identifies you as a close contact of a measles case. This means you have spent a prolonged amount of time with someone who has measles which puts you a higher risk of becoming infected if you are not immune.
How to become immune to measles
The best way to protect yourself is through immunisation. You can become immune to measles in 2 ways.
By getting 2 doses of a measles-containing vaccine after the age of 12 months
In Aotearoa, this is the MMR vaccine. If you become a contact, to be considered immune you must have had your MMR 4 weeks before exposure to a person with measles.
By getting 2 doses of a measles-containing vaccine after the age of 12 months
In Aotearoa, this is the MMR vaccine. If you become a contact, to be considered immune you must have had your MMR 4 weeks before exposure to a person with measles.
By having had measles in the past
People who were born or lived in Aotearoa before 1969 are generally considered immune to measles. This is because before vaccines were available, most people were infected with measles during childhood.
Additionally, people who have had measles more recently are considered immune due to their previous infection.
By having had measles in the past
People who were born or lived in Aotearoa before 1969 are generally considered immune to measles. This is because before vaccines were available, most people were infected with measles during childhood.
Additionally, people who have had measles more recently are considered immune due to their previous infection.
Checking if you are immune to measles
It is important to find records to confirm if you are immune to measles.
Many viral illnesses can cause symptoms like measles, particularly in tamariki. In the past, people may have been mistakenly told they had measles when they had another illness, such as German measles (rubella). Rubella is a completely different disease. Having had rubella before does not provide immunity against measles. It also requires its own immunisation to protect against it.
It is also common for people to be told they had vaccines as a child. But without written records no one can be sure:
- which vaccines they received
- when they received them.
In Aotearoa, the timing of when measles vaccines were given has changed many times over the years. Because of this some people may not realise they missed getting one or both of their measles vaccine doses. This is especially common for people born in Aotearoa between 1969 and 1990.
You should not rely on your own or anyone else’s memory that you:
- had measles as a child
- received all your childhood vaccines.
Knowing if you are likely to be immune to measles already
This section helps you check if you are likely to be immune to measles based on the year you were born, either in Aotearoa or overseas. and whether you might need an MMR vaccine.
You are very likely to be immune to measles.
You are considered immune to measles because before this time there were no measles vaccines, so most people were infected with measles during childhood.
You do not need to get an MMR vaccine if you were born or lived in Aotearoa before 1 January 1969.
You may not be immune to measles.
You likely only had one measles vaccine, and it may have been given too early to give long term protection.
This is because there was only one dose on the immunisation schedule at this time.
Where you could find evidence of your immunity
You should get an MMR vaccine. For most people, it is safe to receive extra doses of the vaccine if you have already been immunised. Talk to your healthcare provider, call the Vaccination Helpline on 0800 28 29 26 or book a vaccine online.
The MMR vaccine is free for:
- tamariki under 18 years in Aotearoa, no matter your visa or immigration status
- adults aged 18 and over who are eligible for publicly funded healthcare, for example, New Zealand citizens, Australian citizens (who live or are intending to live in Aotearoa for 2 years or more), residents, refugees, and many people with work or student visas.
If you are 18 years and over and are not eligible for free healthcare in Aotearoa, you may access free MMR vaccination during an outbreak. Your healthcare provider or vaccinator will determine if you need vaccination for protection.
You may have only received one measles vaccine.
This is because the timing of the second vaccine changed and many people missed their second dose.
If you are not sure, check with your healthcare provider or look at your records.
Where you could find evidence of your immunity
You can get a second measles vaccine. It is safe to receive extra doses of the vaccine if you have already been immunised. Talk to your healthcare provider, call the Vaccination Helpline on 0800 28 29 26 or book a vaccine online.
The MMR vaccine is free for:
- tamariki under 18 years in Aotearoa, no matter your visa or immigration status
- adults aged 18 and over who are eligible for publicly funded healthcare, for example, New Zealand citizens, Australian citizens (who live or are intending to live in Aotearoa for 2 years or more), residents, refugees, and many people with work or student visas.
If you are 18 years and over and are not eligible for free healthcare in Aotearoa, you may access free MMR vaccination during an outbreak. Your healthcare provider or vaccinator will determine if you need vaccination for protection.
You are likely to be immune if you received all your childhood vaccines.
The schedule included 2 measles vaccines since this time, and where there were changes to timing, children were actively followed up to make sure they received their second MMR vaccine.
If you are not sure, check with your healthcare provider or look in your records.
Where you could find evidence of your immunity
If you have not had a measles vaccine or you have only had one measles vaccine, you should get a measles vaccine. Talk to your healthcare provider, call the Vaccination Helpline on 0800 28 29 26 or book a vaccine online.
You can get a second measles vaccine. It is safe to receive extra doses of the vaccine if you have already been immunised.
The MMR vaccine is free for:
- tamariki under 18 years in Aotearoa, no matter your visa or immigration status
- adults aged 18 and over who are eligible for publicly funded healthcare, for example, New Zealand citizens, Australian citizens (who live or are intending to live in Aotearoa for 2 years or more), residents, refugees, and many people with work or student visas.
If you are 18 years and over and are not eligible for free healthcare in Aotearoa, you may access free MMR vaccination during an outbreak. Your healthcare provider or vaccinator will determine if you need vaccination for protection.
If you were born or lived overseas before 1 January 1969, you are very likely to be immune to measles, unless you were born in any of the 12 countries listed below.
You are considered immune to measles because before this time there were no measles vaccines. So, most people were infected with measles during childhood.
However, some countries introduced measles immunisation earlier than Aotearoa. This means that if you were born or lived in the following countries:
- before the year listed, you are likely to be immune to measles
- after the year listed, you may not be immune and may need 2 doses of the measles vaccine.
| Country | Year |
| Argentina | 1965 |
| Australia | 1966 |
| Bermuda | 1957 |
| Hong Kong | 1697 |
| Israel | 1957 |
| Latvia | 1958 |
| Liechtenstein | 1965 |
| Netherlands | 1965 |
| Slovakia | 1968 |
| Slovenia | 1960 |
| Switzerland | 1964 |
| United States | 1957 |
If you have not had a measles vaccine or you have only had 1 measles vaccine, you should get a measles vaccine. It is also safe to receive extra doses of the vaccine if you have already been immunised. Talk to your healthcare provider, call the Vaccination Helpline on 0800 28 29 26 or book a vaccine online.
The MMR vaccine is free for:
- tamariki under 18 years in Aotearoa, no matter your visa or immigration status
- adults aged 18 and over who are eligible for publicly funded healthcare, for example, New Zealand citizens, Australian citizens (who live or are intending to live in Aotearoa for 2 years or more), residents, refugees, and many people with work or student visas.
If you are 18 years and over and are not eligible for free healthcare in Aotearoa, you may access free MMR vaccination during an outbreak. Your healthcare provider or vaccinator will determine if you need vaccination for protection.
You may not be immune to measles.
There are some countries where immunisation schedules include a measles vaccine before age 12 months. If your first measles-containing vaccine was given before the age of 12 months, you may not be protected.
These countries include, but are not limited to:
- India
- China
- South Africa
- Philippines.
If you do not have immunisation records, your healthcare provider may recommend you get 2 doses of the measles vaccine. It is safe to receive extra doses of the vaccine if you have already been immunised.
If you have not had a measles vaccine or you have only had one measles vaccine, you should get a measles vaccine. It is also safe to receive extra doses of the vaccine if you have already been immunised. Talk to your healthcare provider, call the Vaccination Helpline on 0800 28 29 26 or book a vaccine online.
The MMR vaccine is free for:
- tamariki under 18 years in Aotearoa, no matter your visa or immigration status
- adults aged 18 and over who are eligible for publicly funded healthcare, for example, New Zealand citizens, Australian citizens (who live or are intending to live in Aotearoa for 2 years or more), residents, refugees, and many people with work or student visas.
If you are 18 years and over and are not eligible for free healthcare in Aotearoa, you may access free MMR vaccination during an outbreak. Your healthcare provider or vaccinator will determine if you need vaccination for protection.
What to look for in your immunisation records
Check your immunisation records for evidence of 2 of any of the following measles vaccines given to you after you were 12 months of age.
The information saved for you in your immunisation record may be different depending on when and where you received your immunisations. It could include any of the following vaccines (using the full or abbreviated names for the different measles vaccines that are available).
- The combination measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine. The MMR vaccine was first introduced in 1990 in Aotearoa.
- Before 1990, people born in Aotearoa received the measles (M) vaccine. Before 1981, this vaccine was given to babies at age 10 months instead of the current immunisation timing of after the age of 12 months.
Outside of Aotearoa, there are 4 different types of measles vaccines available This means if you were born overseas, you may have received a:
- measles (M) vaccine
- combination measles, rubella (MR) vaccine
- combination measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine
- combination measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (MMRV) vaccine.
What to do if you do not know if you are immune to measles
Measles vaccines given before the age of 12 months only provide short-term protection. You will need to get more MMR vaccines to be considered immune and fully protected if:
- you have received only 1 or 2 doses of a measles vaccine
- either of them were given before the age of 12 months.
If you cannot see evidence on your record that you received 2 of any of the above vaccines after the age of 12 months, you:
- are not considered immune to measles
- are at risk of becoming very sick from measles and passing it on to someone.
If you need help to understand what your immunisation records mean, contact your doctor or healthcare provider. You can also call the Vaccination Helpline on 0800 28 29 26 or book a vaccine online.
Checking your test results
If you have had measles in the past or had a blood test to check if you are immune to measles, this can be used as evidence that you are immune to measles.
Look for the following information on your medical records.
- A positive measles polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken by a swab confirming measles infection.
- A blood test confirming the presence of measles antibodies indicating you are immune to measles.
Where you could find evidence of your immunity
There are several ways you can try to find medical records for yourself to check your immunity to measles. It is recommended you discuss any results with your healthcare provider to make sure you understand the results correctly.
Your healthcare provider may have an online patient portal where you can check your immunisation records, for example, Manage My Health or My Indici. Call your healthcare provider if you need support to access this portal.
If your records are not documented on your healthcare provider’s patient database, they may be able to access these in historical written records. Phone or email your healthcare provider to check if they have historical records for you which show either you:
- have been immunised against measles
- had a blood test result showing immunity to measles.
There may be a charge for your records to be manually searched.
If you have immunisation records in a childhood My Health Book or an overseas immunisation card, you can request your healthcare provider to upload them onto their system. There may be a charge for this request.
Also refer to the laboratory results section which may also be in your records.
My Health Record is a secure website that provides people with private access to their immunisation records dating back to 2005. This is when a person’s immunisation history began to be recorded electronically.
You can arrange a copy of your immunisation records to be emailed to you from My Health Record.
You can also ask your healthcare provider to update your My Health Record information if you find evidence of immunisation records that are missing from your online profile, for example, from paper records held by your healthcare provider. There may be a charge for this request.
Historical records of test results are not currently held within My Health Record.
If you still have your childhood my health book such as your Well Child Tamariki Ora My Health Book or Plunket book, you may have a written record of the vaccines you received as a child which could show you are immune to measles.
If you have immunisation records in a childhood My Health Book or an overseas immunisation card, you can request your healthcare provider to upload them onto their system. There may be a charge for this request.
Accessing your measles immunity test result
Some people may have had a blood test to check if they are immune to measles. This may have been requested as part of an employment check especially for those working in healthcare facilities.
Measles immunity is not checked routinely through any other screening, for example, pregnancy antenatal testing.
For measles contacts where a measles immunity blood test was arranged by the public health service
If your measles immunity blood test was arranged by the public health service, your test result will be communicated to you directly by a public health service representative once the result is available.
Ways to access your results
If you have previously had a blood test at a laboratory to check your immunity to measles, you can access your results through the following options.
- Check laboratory results through an online patient portal site that is provided by some laboratories or healthcare providers.
- Request a free printed copy of your measles test results directly from your local laboratory by visiting in person. There may be a short wait during periods of high demand.
- Contact your healthcare provider (GP or clinic) who ordered the test if you cannot locate the result on these portals.
- Contact your local public health service to confirm test results. This option may vary by region and is not always available.
Travel clinic records
If you have had measles vaccines provided by a travel clinic, you can contact them for a copy of your records if they are not displayed on your healthcare provider portal or My Health Record.
If you or your child were infected with measles or received any childhood immunisations overseas, it is recommended that you get a copy of these records wherever possible.
If you already have a yellow international vaccine booklet which contains a record of the immunisations received, keep it in a safe place. You can share a copy of this with your healthcare provider so they can update your Aotearoa medical records.
Because many countries give measles vaccines to tamariki at different ages, to confirm you are immune by Aotearoa standards, it is important to have these reviewed by your healthcare provider. Some countries have given the first measles vaccine under the age of 12 months, and these people would not be considered fully immune in NZ.
These countries include, but are not limited to:
- India
- China
- South Africa
- Philippines.
If you have not received 2 measles vaccines after the age of 12 months and at least 4 weeks apart you will be advised to get another measles vaccine.
Keeping your own record of your measles immunity
Because measles is a serious risk to the public, public health services take any confirmed or suspected cases of measles very seriously.
If you are identified by the public health service as being a close contact of someone with measles, you will be asked for evidence of your immunity. This is so the healthcare team can provide you with relevant advice to help protect you and others around you if needed.
Measles locations of interest — Information for close contacts
For this reason, if you find evidence of your immunity to measles it is important that you keep a personal record so you can provide it quickly to the public health service if required. You can do this by taking a photo or scan of the record and email it to yourself or print a copy and keep it in a safe place. Having this information on hand can also help you return to your usual activities sooner if you are identified as a close contact and are able to show you are already immune.
What to do if you do not know if you are immune to measles
If you are not immune to measles or have not been able to find evidence that you are immune, you can get immunised now, which means you will be protected against measles in the future.
Alternatively, before getting immunised you could have a blood test to check your measles immunity.
It is recommended you discuss your options with your healthcare provider or vaccinator.
Get immunised
To be protected against measles, you will need to have 2 MMR vaccines given at least 4 weeks apart after the age of 12 months.
The MMR vaccine is free for:
- tamariki under 18 years in Aotearoa, no matter your visa or immigration status
- adults aged 18 and over who are eligible for publicly funded healthcare, for example, New Zealand citizens, Australian citizens (who live or are intending to live in Aotearoa for 2 years or more), residents, refugees, and many people with work or student visas.
If you are 18 years and over and are not eligible for free healthcare in Aotearoa, you may access free MMR vaccination during an outbreak. Your healthcare provider or vaccinator will determine if you need vaccination for protection.
Before getting immunised your vaccinator will check that the vaccine is recommended for you. You should not have the vaccine if you:
- are pregnant
- have a condition or are taking certain medication that could suppress your immune system (such as some cancer treatments)
- were born or lived in Aotearoa before 1969
- were born or lived in a country were presumed immunity is earlier than Aotearoa.
If you were immunised overseas
If you are pregnant you will need to wait until after your pēpi is born. It is recommended and safe to have the MMR vaccine while breastfeeding as this will also help protect pēpi.
If you are immunocompromised, you should speak to your hospital specialist or healthcare provider about whether the measles vaccine is suitable for you.
For everyone else, it is safe to get immunised even if it is possible that you are already immune to measles. Talk to your healthcare provider, call the Vaccination Helpline on 0800 28 29 26 or book a vaccine online.
Your healthcare provider and many community pharmacies will be able to provide you with more information and offer you measles vaccines if necessary.
Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine
Check your immunity with a blood test
Getting a blood test that checks for measles antibodies (also known as serology) is another way to confirm if you are immune to measles. Antibodies are proteins your immune system makes to protect you from infections like measles. Finding them in your blood shows you are immune.
You may choose to get a blood test if you:
- have not been able to find proof that you are immune to measles
- do not want to get immunised again.
The test may not be free. Discuss potential costs with your healthcare provider. In some cases, you may be able to request this directly at the laboratory without a referral from your healthcare provider.
Most results will be available within 48 hours. If your result shows you are not immune to measles, to be protected you will need to have 2 MMR vaccines at least 4 weeks apart.