A measles-infected student attended an Auckland high school ball this weekend, potentially spreading the disease to students from more than 20 other schools.
St Peter's College headmaster James Bentley told NZME he had been informed by the school of the girl after she attended the ball on Saturday night.
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"A partner from another school has come down with measles this morning," he said on Sunday.
"The [girl's] school had found out about it. They are still dealing with their community as well."
Bentley has been forced to notify over 20 schools after their students went to the ball as well, NZME reports.
He's also requested St Peter's College parents who haven't vaccinated their children to keep their sons at home from September 9-16.
As of Friday afternoon, there had been more than 750 confirmed cases in Auckland, with health officials seeing 18 to 20 new cases per day in the past week.
Over 50 schools in the region have had measles this year and the Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) is working with the Ministry of Education to help schools manage cases.
On Sunday, the head of Starship Children's Hospital warned some kids are likely to die from complications caused by measles.
Dr Mike Shepherd says the hospital is seeing critically unwell children with things like pneumonia and brain infection caused by the illness, and he's extremely concerned.
"Some children are likely to die because of complications due to measles... Measles can be very dangerous. While many adults who get measles will have an illness somewhat like the flu, however one in 20 children will get serious pneumonia and around one child in 300 will get a life-threatening illness or die," he wrote in an open letter published in the Herald on Sunday.
"We don't have a treatment for measles - once you or your child get sick with measles, the illness has to run its course. We can only help by treating complications, which can be life-threatening."
Newshub.
