Measles vaccines are running out

As Wellington health practices run out of the measles vaccine, the Ministry of Health says the most vulnerable are missing out.

Between January to September there have been 1149 confirmed cases of measles notified across New Zealand.

In Wellington, many GPs are nearing the end of their vaccine supply, including the Newlands Medical Centre and City GPs.

‘‘There’s been a huge public response to the current measles situation, and this has meant an unprecedented demand for vaccinations from the wider population,’’ Ministry of Health director general of health Ashley Bloomfield said.

A shipment of 52,000 vaccines is due in New Zealand this weekend and will be distributed where needed from next week.

‘‘Children aged 2 years and under are more likely to be hospitalised because of measles so it’s imperative they’re vaccinated.’’

So far, there have been 160,000 vaccines provided in 2019 compared with 90,000 vaccines in the same period last year.

The Ministry of Health is asking general practices and PHOs to target measles vaccinations to the most vulnerable.

Newlands Medical said last week it was facing an increased number of calls regarding the ‘NO VAX, NO FLAT’

measles outbreak and had a limited amount of vaccination stock left. ‘‘We appreciate that this is a concerning time for you, especially if you have travel plans to the most affected parts of NZ.’’

The Ministry of Health has worked with health boards and the distributors on a stocktake of MMR vaccine supplies.

The redistribution of national vaccine supplies will focus on Auckland, the ministry said yesterday. For the rest of the country, the ministry and Pharmac are working to prioritise the distribution of vaccines. More than 54,000 doses of vaccine were distributed last week.

The message about vaccination remains the same – all children should get vaccinations on time to ensure the National Immunisation Schedule remains on track.