2019–2020 New Zealand measles outbreak


The 2019–2020 New Zealand measles outbreak refers to an ongoing epidemic affecting New Zealand, though primarily in the Auckland region. The outbreak is the worst epidemic in New Zealand since an influenza epidemic in 1999, and the worst measles epidemic since 1938. The Measles outbreak of 1999 was actually predicted two years prior. An "immunization campaign" was intended to vaccinate 90–95% of New Zealand, but ultimately failed as less than 80 percent of New Zealand's population was vaccinated, resulting in the epidemic. Australia have been linked to the New Zealand epidemic. An ongoing outbreak in Perth began in October 2019 after a New Zealander visited while infectious.
The strain of this outbreak is the D8 strain and this epidemic has spread to Samoa killing more than 72 people and Tonga.
The New Zealand Government has been criticised for its response to the epidemic, particularly due to shortages in the supply of vaccines. Scientists have also criticised the Ministry of Health for not acting on previous recommendations to conduct national 'catch-up' campaigns with the MMR vaccine prior to the outbreak. Although New Zealand has had a high demand for the MMR Vaccine, resulting in a shortage, there has also been an increase of.5% of people who have declined the vaccine since 2017.
Two unborn fetuses in 2nd trimester have died as a result of the outbreak.
4 cases in Fiji, and 74 cases in Australia are directly or indirectly linked to the outbreak in New Zealand and have being included in the total. To compare, the United States has only had 1249 cases from 1 January 2019 – 1 October 2019 throughout the entire country.

Cases

As of 29 January 2020, there had been 2,193 cases of measles reported throughout New Zealand since 1 January 2019. Auckland had been the worst-hit region, with 1,736 cases alone. The New Zealand Government activated the National Health Coordination Center in August 2019 to respond to the outbreak.
RegionConfirmed
cases		Number
hospitalised
Northland6011
Waitemata21790
Auckland19878
Counties Manukau864281
Waikato359
Lakes174
Bay of Plenty3716
Tairāwhiti00
Taranaki62
Hawke's Bay31
Whanganui00
MidCentral50
Hutt Valley91
Capital and Coast123
Wairarapa10
Nelson Marlborough00
West Coast00
Canterbury4217
South Canterbury11
Southern342
Total 1,541516