78 people are to be quarantined after coming in contact with measles.
Health New Zealand's said it's reached out to 286 close contacts since the first case was confirmed earlier this month.
90% of people unvaccinated that come in contact with measles will be infected.
Dr Bryan Betty said it's one of the most contagious diseases known to man.
He says Covid has a reproduction number of 2-3 and influenza is 1.3, so measles sitting at 12 to 18 is completely off the scale.
Betty says people should limit their movements.
He says if people think they have measles, they should ring their medical centre for advice as they risk spreading the disease if they turn up to their medical centre.
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
That'd be Yeah, measles numbers in New Zealand have been
increasing a little bit lately, but in the US things
have been a whole lot worse. Doctor Brian Betty is
here with us this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Calder Brian, Oh, cure Jack, Nice to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah, So, you know, you look at this case. I
think it was the last week right where someone was
traveling on a theory from Wayhiki and had measles and
then all of a sudden, you can, you know, do
the contact tracing thing, and there are potentially hundreds of people,
if not thousands if you leave it a little bit,
who have been exposed. But it is incredibly infectious, right ah.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Look, and yeah, the side of things I think we
need to talk about because it's the basic fact that
that measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases
nine to man now, which means that that someone with
mes was going into a public space, spreads the disease
through the air and a for great so there's something
(01:07):
called a reproduction number, and for measles, that one infectious
person if they walk into a room can spread it
to up to twelve to eighteen people, different people, so
incredibly infectious. So just in comparison, COVID had a reproduction
number of two to three. Influenza is one point three.
So measles sitting at twelve to eighteen is completely off
(01:30):
the scale, which is why we get so concerned about
someone with measles on a very in and Wayhik, you're
walking into a supermarket. Now. The other thing about it,
which which is really important, that four days before the
symptoms come on, you're infectious, so you don't know you've
got it and infectious and that's probably what happened in
this case. And dang, way you go.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
It's like perfect, perfect stormy when you have something incredibly
infectious and you don't know you have it because it
takes your infectious before all of the symptoms start to
rear the ugly heads. I think people will remember the
you know, the our value from the good old COVID
days right to get the other man you under one, Yes,
that's right, but I mean this is you know, twelve
(02:11):
to eighteen is just as crazy. So why is it
such a particular concern in New Zealand?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Well, look, I mean, you know, you know, it is
true that for the majority of children or cases for measles,
it'll be a relatively mild, mild to severe disease. Most
will get better of better. Proud However, people consider a
lot of people consider it a benign disease. But it's
not benign. This is the thing about it. So if
we go back to twenty nineteen when there was the
(02:39):
last big outbreak, you know, seven hundred children under the
age of five ended up in hospital in New Zealand, Okay,
one hundred of them under the age of one where
they have no protection whatsoever, and eighty died in Samoa.
We were very, very lucky not to have deaths in
New Zealand because there can be serious complications. So that
(02:59):
includes dehydration, pneumonia and actually brain swelling. So this is
a real, real worry with measles. That's why we get
so concerned. It's infectious and you can get these serious events.
But in New Zealand we have this low immunization rate.
It's been a problem since COVID. We're sitting down around
eighty percent. Maori children are sitting around sixty nine percent,
(03:20):
So a large number of our tamaiki are not protected
against measles at the moment. We need a rate of
about ninety five percent to have what we call herd
immunity where we protect the community against measles. We're a
long way off. This type of outbreak causes real concern.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
How do you actually recognize it?
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, Look, I mean the symptoms usually occur about one
to week two weeks after exposure, and often what you
start to see is suddenly a high fever, running nose, red,
watery eyes in particular, so this sort of conjunctivirus type
thing and a rash. Now, the rash is very typical.
It starts around the face or behind the years and
then starts to spread down over the body, and it's
(04:02):
red and very very distinctive in terms of what it does.
You may get also tiny white spots in the mouth.
We call those complex spots now, so that's how you
start to notice it. So if you suspect measles, the
big thing is don't go to your medical center, ring
up and get medical advice, because you don't want walk
into the waiting room spread it really really important. You
(04:24):
don't want to go to an emergency department and spread
it so important to bring ahead and get advice on
what to do. And that's incredibly important. And they're not
respect measles.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
If you do have measles, there's no rights of treatment
as us right, you just have to try and treat
the symptoms.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Yeah, look, you've got to treat the symptoms. There is
no treatment, so you treat the symptoms. And again, as
I said, in the majority of cases, look rest fluids,
staying at home so you don't spread it. Paracetamol you know,
we'll do the job if it gets more severe in
terms of dehydration, not being able to drink, you've got
concerns about cough or what's going on or your child,
(05:01):
you do need to drink and get advice. That's what's
really really important. So stay in touch with medical help
if you are concerned. But the only real way of
protecting against beatles, because we can't treat it, is immunization.
So immunization the MMR is actually really really critically important,
and especially if we've got an outbreak like this.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, no, that's such good advice. I don't think it's
quite your mema yet. He's not at that stage. But
my son turns three months old. Today. So we have
on Monday the second round of jabs. It's such.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Isn't it.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
So you've got to go along and you know, like
as mum feeds him as he gets his jabs.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
But yeah, yeah, poor little thing, but I mean looks
so so important. Yeah, I hear what you're saying. Jack.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yeah, it's a tough I mean, obviously, you know we
don't need to do it, of course, you know, we
we want to keep him as safe as possible. But yeah,
still it's not an occasion that I'm looking forward to this. Yeah, hey,
thank you so much, Brian. We really appreciate it and
such an import message arouandom minization. So you take care
and we will catch you again very soon.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks ed B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
That'd be Yeah, measles numbers in New Zealand have been
increasing a little bit lately, but in the US things
have been a whole lot worse. Doctor Brian Betty is
here with us this morning.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Calder Brian, Oh, cure Jack, Nice to be here.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Yeah, So, you know, you look at this case. I
think it was the last week right where someone was
traveling on a theory from Wayhiki and had measles and
then all of a sudden, you can, you know, do
the contact tracing thing, and there are potentially hundreds of people,
if not thousands if you leave it a little bit,
who have been exposed. But it is incredibly infectious, right ah.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Look, and yeah, the side of things I think we
need to talk about because it's the basic fact that
that measles is one of the most contagious infectious diseases
nine to man now, which means that that someone with
mes was going into a public space, spreads the disease
through the air and a for great so there's something
(01:07):
called a reproduction number, and for measles, that one infectious
person if they walk into a room can spread it
to up to twelve to eighteen people, different people, so
incredibly infectious. So just in comparison, COVID had a reproduction
number of two to three. Influenza is one point three.
So measles sitting at twelve to eighteen is completely off
(01:30):
the scale, which is why we get so concerned about
someone with measles on a very in and Wayhik, you're
walking into a supermarket. Now. The other thing about it,
which which is really important, that four days before the
symptoms come on, you're infectious, so you don't know you've
got it and infectious and that's probably what happened in
this case. And dang, way you go.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
It's like perfect, perfect stormy when you have something incredibly
infectious and you don't know you have it because it
takes your infectious before all of the symptoms start to
rear the ugly heads. I think people will remember the
you know, the our value from the good old COVID
days right to get the other man you under one, Yes,
that's right, but I mean this is you know, twelve
(02:11):
to eighteen is just as crazy. So why is it
such a particular concern in New Zealand?
Speaker 3 (02:17):
Well, look, I mean, you know, you know, it is
true that for the majority of children or cases for measles,
it'll be a relatively mild, mild to severe disease. Most
will get better of better. Proud However, people consider a
lot of people consider it a benign disease. But it's
not benign. This is the thing about it. So if
we go back to twenty nineteen when there was the
(02:39):
last big outbreak, you know, seven hundred children under the
age of five ended up in hospital in New Zealand, Okay,
one hundred of them under the age of one where
they have no protection whatsoever, and eighty died in Samoa.
We were very, very lucky not to have deaths in
New Zealand because there can be serious complications. So that
(02:59):
includes dehydration, pneumonia and actually brain swelling. So this is
a real, real worry with measles. That's why we get
so concerned. It's infectious and you can get these serious events.
But in New Zealand we have this low immunization rate.
It's been a problem since COVID. We're sitting down around
eighty percent. Maori children are sitting around sixty nine percent,
(03:20):
So a large number of our tamaiki are not protected
against measles at the moment. We need a rate of
about ninety five percent to have what we call herd
immunity where we protect the community against measles. We're a
long way off. This type of outbreak causes real concern.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
How do you actually recognize it?
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Yeah, Look, I mean the symptoms usually occur about one
to week two weeks after exposure, and often what you
start to see is suddenly a high fever, running nose, red,
watery eyes in particular, so this sort of conjunctivirus type
thing and a rash. Now, the rash is very typical.
It starts around the face or behind the years and
then starts to spread down over the body, and it's
(04:02):
red and very very distinctive in terms of what it does.
You may get also tiny white spots in the mouth.
We call those complex spots now, so that's how you
start to notice it. So if you suspect measles, the
big thing is don't go to your medical center, ring
up and get medical advice, because you don't want walk
into the waiting room spread it really really important. You
(04:24):
don't want to go to an emergency department and spread
it so important to bring ahead and get advice on
what to do. And that's incredibly important. And they're not
respect measles.
Speaker 2 (04:33):
If you do have measles, there's no rights of treatment
as us right, you just have to try and treat
the symptoms.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
Yeah, look, you've got to treat the symptoms. There is
no treatment, so you treat the symptoms. And again, as
I said, in the majority of cases, look rest fluids,
staying at home so you don't spread it. Paracetamol you know,
we'll do the job if it gets more severe in
terms of dehydration, not being able to drink, you've got
concerns about cough or what's going on or your child,
(05:01):
you do need to drink and get advice. That's what's
really really important. So stay in touch with medical help
if you are concerned. But the only real way of
protecting against beatles, because we can't treat it, is immunization.
So immunization the MMR is actually really really critically important,
and especially if we've got an outbreak like this.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Yeah, no, that's such good advice. I don't think it's
quite your mema yet. He's not at that stage. But
my son turns three months old. Today. So we have
on Monday the second round of jabs. It's such.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Isn't it.
Speaker 2 (05:38):
So you've got to go along and you know, like
as mum feeds him as he gets his jabs.
Speaker 3 (05:42):
But yeah, yeah, poor little thing, but I mean looks
so so important. Yeah, I hear what you're saying. Jack.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
Yeah, it's a tough I mean, obviously, you know we
don't need to do it, of course, you know, we
we want to keep him as safe as possible. But yeah,
still it's not an occasion that I'm looking forward to this. Yeah, hey,
thank you so much, Brian. We really appreciate it and
such an import message arouandom minization. So you take care
and we will catch you again very soon.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
to News Talks ed B from nine am Saturday, or
follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
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