Measles epidemic spreads from New Zealand to Pacific Islands
Nearly 3,000 people across the southwestern Pacific, where poverty and poor health are endemic, have so far fallen victim to an outbreak of measles, a highly contagious and life-threatening disease.
New Zealand is in the midst of its worst outbreak in 20 years, with 2,014 notified cases from January until November 8. Of these, 1,631 are in the Auckland region, with over two-thirds in the economically-deprived suburbs of South Auckland. Some babies admitted to hospital have almost died and two pregnant women lost their unborn children due to complications related to the disease.
In late September, children were reportedly being turned away from pop-up clinics and GP (general practioner) offices due to a shortage of vaccines. Papakura GP Jacqueline Allan criticised health officials on Radio NZ for poor planning, saying many practices could not meet vaccination targets because of a nurse shortage. As an emergency measure, the Labour-led government has now authorised 450 pharmacies nationwide to administer the vaccine.
With New Zealand’s population just five million, the measles outbreak ranks among the worst in the developed world. As of September, the measles infection rates were the second-highest in the western Pacific at 152.4 per million, with only the Philippines higher at 612.1 per million. New Zealand’s total has surpassed the 1,250 cases in the US from January to October 3, 2019 as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Read more: https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2019/11/09/meas-n09.html
