Transcript
RNZ Pacific's correspondent Autagavaia Tipi Autagavaia says the suspect case relates to an Aucklander who travelled to Samoa for a conference at the end of August, flew back to Auckland and was then diagnosed with the viral illness.
"Six people who were the contacts of that person were checked and followed up by the Ministry of Health here. And one out of those six are likely to be positive. But the sample from that person has been sent over, overseas for a test as well to reconfirm, to confirm whether it's a measles case."
Autagavaia says the Director General of Health, Dr Takai Naseri, has also sent 38 samples from other suspected measles cases in Samoa, to Australia for testing.
He says 25 samples were sent last week and 13 this week, and are mostly from unwell children under 4 who live in Apia.
New Zealand has 1742 confirmed cases of measles notified this year so far and 1416 of those are in Auckland, where the worst outbreak in 20 years is most concentrated.
Autagavaia says Australia is doing the lab confirmation as New Zealand is swamped.
"They're now sending it to Melbourne because New Zealand, the Director General of Health said New Zealand cannot cope with any other testing because of the outbreak there right now."
No one in Samoa appeared to have been hospitalised yet with the virus.
He says the Samoan Health Ministry is also worried about measles transmission via RSE workers travelling between the two countries.
"They're also now considering seeking help of the World Health Organisation for some medicines to, for immunising our RSE workers in New Zealand. And those who are going to leave for RSE work in New Zealand, to make sure that you know, we have that protection of the country from any huge outbreak like the one in Auckland right now."
The World Health Organisation's Western Pacific regional director Dr Takeshi Kasai says it's important to remember measles is one of the world's most contagious infectious diseases and it can be deadly especially for children.
But it's also an illness that's easily prevented by very safe and effective vaccines and the WHO is encouraging nations to provide current and clear information to parents about this, he says.
"But very specifically to New Zealand, we have recently had the confirmed case in Samoa that linked up to the Air New Zealand [flight].
"We're really also encouraging people...in case you have contact, and a measles incident, to refrain as much as possible from travel. But again key is the immunisations," Dr Kasai said.
Autagavaia says the Samoa government is now looking at setting up isolation facilities for patients with measles, creating extra space in Apia for a children's pop-up vaccination clinic to speed up herd immunity, and extra air passenger surveillance.
"There're staff and also extra people working at the airport are also being advised to look you know for passengers arriving with likely symptoms of fever, or rashes or anything like that."
He says the confirmation of even one case of measles in Apia would be a big deal for Samoa and the laboratory results are expected to be known by early next week.
Meanwhile, Auckland Regional Public Health is optimistic the outbreak is now waning with more vaccine stocks arriving and being distributed to medical centres.
Dr John Cameron, an Auckland general practitioner and member of the metro-Auckland Incident Management Team, says the priority groups for vaccination are babies aged 12 months, four-year-olds and also the under 30's who are not immunised or uncertain.
"And our practice nurses are sitting there armed with needles ready to jab anyone who fills those priority groups as soon as they possibly can.
"For people who think they may have measles, have the symptoms suggestive of, please contact your General Practitioner team or health provider by phone before presenting at the practice, so that we can ensure that you are isolated from other people within the practice environment."
Dr Cameron says even though they are hopeful the worst of the measles epidemic has peaked, it is not a time to sit back and do nothing but rather a chance to figure out how to best protect people from this really "serious, horrible disease".
