A measles immunity gap is opening among preschoolers

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2023-04-14 00:01

New Zealand

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

There are not enough children under the age of five who are protected against measles to stop a potential outbreak in Aotearoa, researchers say. The coverage for the first measles vaccine is declining, from around 95% for those born in 2017 to around 89% for those born in 2020. Disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic may have worsened this, with the worldwide coverage of the first dose of the measles vaccine falling about 7% from 2020 compared to 2019. The researchers say catch-up immunisation programs are urgently needed, especially among tamariki Māori.

Media release

From: Pasifika Medical Association Group

Gaps in measles immunisation coverage for pre-school children in Aotearoa New Zealand: a cross-sectional study

Measles is a disease caused by a virus that can easily spread from person to person. Children under the age of five who have not received a vaccine are at a high risk of getting very sick or even dying from measles. Since the borders in New Zealand have fully opened and the number of measles cases around the world has increased, the chances of measles being imported into New Zealand have also gone up. We found that fewer children are getting vaccinated against measles—in fact, the coverage for the first measles, mumps, rubella (MMR1) vaccine has dropped from 95.1% for those born in 2017 to 88.9% for those born in 2020. This means that there are not enough children under the age of five who are protected against measles to stop a potential measles outbreak.

Journal/
conference: NZMJ

Organisation/s: University of Otago

Funder: N/A

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