Twelve-hundred children and adults who were at a Seventh Day Adventist camp in Rotorua during the school holidays have been alerted to the risk of measles after a child there was infectious with the disease.
Camp-goers who are not immune to measles may need to go into quarantine after being exposed to the virus, says the Auckland Regional Public Health Service.
The service says it's working with the Adventists Pathfinders North New Zealand camp organisers and other public health units around the North Island to alert the 1200 people who attended the Tui Ridge Park camp to the risk of measles.
The Auckland child was infectious on October 5 and 6 and those who were at the camp on those days, and who are not immune, may be developing measles now, says ARPHS Clinical Director Dr Julia Peters.
The public health service has sent other public health units the contact details of the attendees in their regions, so units can advise people at the camp about their risk and what action to take.
The children at the camp were aged between four and 15 years.
Parents of these children will need to check vaccination records in their child’s Well Child book or with their doctor, Dr Peters says.
Adults under 50 at the camp should also ask their doctor about their immunity, while those over 50 are considered immune as they are likely to have been exposed to measles as a child, she says.
If camp-goers are not immune they will need to stay home in quarantine from today until the end of October 20, Dr Peters says.
While they may not show any signs of measles yet, people can spread the virus five days before they develop a rash, she says.
Around 1000 of the attendees from the camp are from Auckland, with the rest from Hamilton, Lower Hutt, Wellington, Tauranga, Rotorua and Manawatu.
Anyone who was at the camp should be vigilant for symptoms of the highly infectious disease - high fever, runny nose, cough and sore red eyes. A few days later a rash starts on the face and neck, and then spreads to the rest of the body, Dr Peters says.
If a child may have been exposed to the virus, parents can talk to their doctor or call Healthline on 0800 611 116 for advice on checking immunity. Their local public health unit can also offer advice.
If people start to develop symptoms that could be measles they should call their doctor, to prevent potentially infecting others in the waiting room, Dr Peters says.
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