Health expert: Don’t bring babies to Canty

Parents of babies too young for vaccination are being warned to stay away from Canterbury while a measles outbreak continues.

Canterbury medical officer of health Alistair Humphrey told on Tuesday that parents of babies under 12 months old intending to visit Canterbury in the next few weeks should cancel their plans if the measles continued to spread.

In answer to a reader’s question on whether they should bring their

8-month-old to Christchurch for a family wedding in May, Humphrey said he would not bring a baby to the region until the outbreak was contained.

‘‘If the outbreak looks like it’s contained by May – and we’d hope it was – but if it’s not contained, I would not bring the baby,’’ Humphrey said.

Under the national immunisation schedule for MMR (measles, mumps and rubella), the first dose is available at 18 months and a second dose at

4 years old. However, in Canterbury the ages for both injections brought forward.

Last week the Canterbury District Health Board (CDHB) advised that children could be given the first dose at 12 months and the second dose one month after that.

Humphrey said health authorities were trying to ensure the outbreak did not spread to other parts of New Zealand by tracking each case and ensuring patients stayed in isolation.

The outbreak has so far affected 27 people, including a baby and four preschoolers. has been