All Year 11 students and some staff at one of Wellington’s largest high schools have been asked to stay at home after a student who attended two weeks ago was diagnosed with measles, Health NZ says.
The student was infectious while at Wellington College for three days from October 13-15 and also travelled by the Wellington College school bus 736 during this time.
In a letter obtained by 1News, Health NZ said the National Public Health Service would be contacting all Year 11 students and specific Year 11 staff considered to have had close contact with the case on the days they were infectious.
“We are advising all Year 11 students and specific Year 11 staff to please stay home and wait for the public health team to make contact with you.”
It was believed more than 20 staff from Wellington College have also been exposed.
Staff and families of students in Year 11 were asked to locate immunisation records or evidence of measles infection prior to contact from the public health team.
1News understands a relative, who also had measles, attended Wellington Girls’ College while infected for half a day on October 13.
Four staff and about 60 students at Wellington Girls’ College had been identified as possible contacts.
Health officials had previously said New Zealand was at “high risk” of a measles outbreak with immunisation “the best protection”.
There were locations of interest across the country, in Auckland, Taranaki, Nelson-Marlborough and Tasman, and Manawatū-Whanganui.
Measles was highly contagious and can cause serious and potentially long-term health problems. People with measles often feel very unwell, but you may be contagious even before you get any symptoms.
Symptoms of measles include an illness that begins with high fever (over 38C); cough; runny nose; sore red eyes (conjunctivitis); and a rash, lasting up to one week beginning on the face and gradually spreading down the body to the arms and legs.
Health NZ has not yet directly commented on the cases.
