MP encourages people to get measles shot
Nelson MP Rachel Boyack confesses to not being great with needles.
But she rolled up her sleeve on Monday to get a measles vaccination and encouraged others to do the same after a second case of the infectious virus was reported in Nelson on Sunday amid a national outbreak.
“Vaccination is the best way to protect ourselves and it’s the best way to protect babies and little children in the community,” she said, looking away as Nelson Bays Primary Health director of nursing Bobbie Hutton deftly took aim.
“Just trick your mind that it’s actually my fingernail,” Hutton said.
The vaccination was carried out at the Nelson Tasman Pasifika Community Trust which is encouraging its communities to get immunised. Chief executive Rob Blake said the message was important for everyone but particularly given the deadly measles outbreak in Samoa in 2019 when more than 80 people died.
Health New Zealand said the second Nelson case was not currently linked to any previous cases, which might indicate undetected measles circulating in the community.
It listed a close contact location of interest – where a person with measles visited – at Aki Sushi in the Nelson Junction on Saturday, November 1, between 9.15am and 10.20am .
Those who were at the store on that day and time are advised to contact Healthline, quarantine themselves until November 15, monitor for measles symptoms and check if they are immune.
Casual contact locations of interest – a lower level of risk – on Saturday, November 1 are listed at the Nelson Junction Woolworths between 9.20am-10.40am; Hunting & Fishing at the Junction, 9.10am-10.150am, and on Tuesday, November 4 at Toyworld Nelson at the Junction, 4.45pm-5.55pm and New World, Stoke, 5.05pm-6pm.
Casual contacts are advised to monitor symptoms , check if they are immune and get immunised if they are not or are unsure.
Boyack said she was alerted by text message that she should get another measles vaccination. She had an MMR vaccination in 2020 and may have had one as a child, but the advice was to have a second dose if there was doubt or no evidence.
“If you’re confused or uncertain check it out because we want to see an uptick in the number of people in this region who have been vaccinated because that is how we can prevent having a large scale outbreak,” Boyack
Health New Zealand advice is if you were born before 1969 it is likely you are immune to measles because before then there were no measles vaccines, so most people were infected during childhood.
Hutton said 27,000 texts had been sent to people in the region advising them they should get another dose. A pop-up vaccination clinic in Tāhunanui on Saturday was extremely successful with 180 people immunised in four hours.
She said further pop-up clinics were being considered for Motueka and central Nelson. People could also get the vaccine, which is free, at GPs and pharmacies.
Nationally, the measles outbreak stood at 18 cases on Monday, with the second Nelson case the only one remaining infectious.
Caption: Nelson MP Rachel Boyack gets her measles vaccine at the Nelson Tasman Pasifika Community Trust on Monday from director of nursing at the Nelson Bays Primary Health Bobbie Hutton.Braden Fastier / Nelson Mail
By Warren Gamble, Nelson Mail
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