Refugee writer reflects

A Manawatu¯ child who recently visited Samoa has contracted measles, becoming the ninth confirmed case in the MidCentral District Health Board region this year.

MidCentral Public Health Service officials say the child was in public areas in Palmerston North and Feilding while infectious, before the symptoms were apparent and measles was confirmed.

Members of the public could therefore have been exposed to the disease.

New Zealand’s measles outbreak spread recently to Samoa, where at least 15 people have died, mainly children, prompting the declaration of a state of emergency to manage the epidemic.

The child who became ill with measles after returning from Samoa is in isolation and public health workers are advising close contacts.

People who are not immune to measles are told to stay in isolation until 14 days after their last contact with an infectious person.

The latest case has prompted advice for people with children aged 15 months to 5 years, or who are planning to travel to the Pacific Islands over the summer holidays, to make sure they are immunised.

Babies aged 6 to 11 months should also be immunised before travel to Auckland or overseas to a country dealing with an outbreak.

MidCentral medical officer of health Rob Weir said measles was highly infectious, so anyone who was not immune was at risk if they came in contact with someone with the disease.

‘‘It spreads from person to person through the air from breathing, coughing and sneezing.’’

It was contagious from just before symptoms appeared until five days after the onset of the rash.

People would become ill between 10 and 14 days after contact with the virus.