Immunity to measles not confirmed

Palmerston North Hospital cannot guarantee all staff who have contact with the public and patients are immunised against measles.

The Midcentral District Health Board asks staff who have direct contact with patients, or who could be exposed to infectious diseases, including measles, to be screened and vaccinated if required.

But nursing and midwifery executive director Celina Eves said although staff not immune to measles were offered vaccinations, it was not compulsory.

‘‘Vaccination is a personal decision and the DHB is unable to require or force its staff to be vaccinated.’’

Screening was targeted at staff in areas where there were people most vulnerable to infection, including the children’s ward, emergency department, theatre and the cancer ward.

A wider campaign included all clinical staff and screening had become a routine part of the employment process for new staff.

‘‘We are unable to provide figures regarding how many public-facing staff are vaccinated against measles,’’ Eves said.

Although the Ministry of Health has been giving priority to target groups for vaccination, the board had taken ‘‘a pragmatic’’ approach with staff, she said.

Staff born in 1969 or later were asked for evidence of having had two vaccinations, or a blood test result showing their immunity, if their job involved dealing directly with patients.

Isolation policies and procedures for staff who cared for patients confirmed to have measles were in place.

When staff had contact with a person later confirmed to have measles, the Public Health Unit’s protocols for checking and isolating contacts swung into action.

That was important because people could be infectious before symptoms, including the tell-tale rash, started spreading from the head and down the body.

The infection is spread from person to person through the air from breathing, coughing and sneezing. People usually become ill between 10 and 14 days after contact. Public health officials advise people who think they might have been exposed to measles to go into isolation and phone Healthline or their general practice rather than turn up at a surgery unannounced, where they could pass the infection on.

Screening of hospital staff who did not have contact with the public was not required.