Health experts are warning New Zealand is at serious risk of a measles epidemic due to growing numbers of unimmunised children.
Childhood measles vaccination rates are stuck on about 82 percent, and for years have been below the 95 percent needed for population-wide immunity.
The rates for Māori are even lower - just 69 percent of those under two are vaccinated against measles.
"They're really, really far too low, for the community in general and particularly for Māori and Pacific Islanders," Kokiri Marae clinical nurse Billy-Jo Mene said.
It's a concern shared by Dr Oz Mansoor from the Public Health Communication Centre.
"If we don't get enough people vaccinated there will be an outbreak of measles," Dr Mansoor stressed.
The latest briefing he co-authored shows the number of children becoming susceptible to measles is growing by about 1000 each month, and warns we are "dropping the ball" on the issue.
The report calls for three urgent actions - closing the immunity gap, reducing the risk of importing measles by requiring proof of vaccination to leave or enter the country, and rethinking the public health response by focusing on identifying and isolating contacts.
"The challenge for most people is we haven't seen measles epidemics - we don't know the extent of misery and severe illness it can cause, including death," said Dr Monsoor.
World Health Organisation figures show cases almost doubled in 2023 compared with the previous year, reaching 320,000.
"We're concerned with the global rise of measles cases. As time passes we have less and less of that high school protection," he said.
That's because New Zealand's vaccination rates have been falling since 2017, meaning reduced herd immunity.
But boosting those rates is proving difficult, and Mene said there are a number of reasons including access to GPs and flow on effects from COVID-19.
"I think there is a lot of mistrust out in the community at the moment," she admitted.
Another problem is the delays in getting nurses accredited for 'all of life' vaccinations.
Mene and four of her nursing colleagues told Newshub they have been waiting since December last year for an assessment, so they can vaccinate without supervision.
"That's really tough for us to sit on our hands and wait."
