Measles: A guide for education settings

Measles can affect anyone of any age who is not immune to it. Anyone who has not received at least 2 doses of a measles vaccine after the age of 12 months or has not already had the disease is at risk of catching and spreading measles.

Measles immunity — Health information and Services (external link)

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the best way to prevent measles and stop it spreading is to be immunised with the measles mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Two doses protect 99% of people from measles.

Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine — Health Information and Services (external link)

Measles symptoms include:

• a runny nose
• fever
• cough
• sore, watery red eyes
• a rash which develops 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms.

The rash appears as flat red spots or bumps which usually starts on the face before moving down the rest of the body. The rash lasts for up to one week and may be more difficult to see on darker skin. 

A key feature of measles is that a fever is still present when the rash develops.

For more information on symptoms see our Health Information and Services website. 

Symptoms of measles — Health Information and Services (external link)

Measles images — DermNet (external link)

If you are not immune to measles, you can catch it by breathing in virus particles in the air after a person with measles has coughed, sneezed, talked or even just breathed. This can happen through:

• face-to-face contact, such as having a conversation
• spending time in a confined indoor space at the same time as the infected person (known as a case)
• spending time in a confined indoor space within one hour of the case leaving the space.

Measles is much more contagious than most other viruses, including COVID-19 and flu.

A person with measles is infectious — meaning they can spread measles to other people — from 4 days before until 4 days after their rash first started to show. This means they can spread the virus to others before they are aware they have it themselves.

One person with measles could infect 18 other people if those people are not immune to measles.

Testing for measles involves the healthcare provider taking a swab of a person’s nose or throat (the same testing process as for COVID-19 or the flu) and sending the swab to a laboratory for processing.

For more information on symptoms, how measles spreads, diagnosis and treatment see our Health Information and Services website.

Measles — Health Information and Services (external link)

There has been a rapid increase in measles cases being identified in Aotearoa in recent years with multiple schools impacted by infectious people and close contacts. There has also been a big increase in measles globally with outbreaks in many countries with strong travel connections to Aotearoa, including Australia, South-East Asia, Europe, Canada and the United States.

This means it is becoming more likely that staff, learners or visitors with measles could attend an education setting while they are infectious.

Measles could cause significant disruption to education settings from staff and learner absences due to:

• prolonged illness
• isolation of people with measles infection
• quarantine of contacts without measles immunity, or while immunity is being confirmed. 

While it is the responsibility of public health services to manage measles outbreaks, they need your support to keep staff and learners safe.

Staff and learners spend a lot of time together in indoor spaces such as classrooms where measles could spread easily.

Anyone who is not immune to measles can become infected if they are exposed to a measles case in an education setting. To prevent measles from spreading, 95% of people in an education setting would need to be immune to measles. This means they need to have had 2 measles (for example, MMR) vaccines after the age of 12 months or have previously had measles. Aotearoa’s current immunisation rates are well below this level. Education settings with lower rates of immunity are likely to see the biggest outbreaks.

Changes to Aotearoa's National Immunisation Schedule over time means adults born between 1969 and 2004 may have only received one vaccine dose and might not be protected from measles.

Our Health Information and Services website has more information about the importance of being immune, how to become immune and how to check your immunity.

Check your measles immunity — Health Information and Services (external link)

Encourage staff and learners to check if they are protected against measles

Anyone who is diagnosed with measles must isolate (stay at home and not go to their workplace, education setting or be out in the community) until 4 days after their rash develops to prevent spreading measles to other people. However, most people with measles will be absent for much longer than this.

This is because measles makes people feel very unwell and it usually takes at least 1 to 2 weeks to recover and return to normal activities.

As most people are willing to follow public health advice to reduce the spread of measles, closing an education setting or requiring a move to online learning, is unlikely to be required to control an outbreak.

In exceptional circumstances a medical officer of health (a doctor who specialises in public health) in a local public health service may use powers under the Health Act 1956 to close a school for the purpose of controlling an outbreak.

Health Act 1956 — New Zealand Legislation (external link)

If staff have measles, or are non-immune close contacts, there may not be enough staff available. Your education setting may decide to close part or all of your education setting and move to online learning. It is recommended that education settings discuss and reach a decision on this with the support of their Board, their Ministry of Education representative (for early learning services and state schools), or both.

For more information about your role and responsibilities regarding communicable and notifiable diseases refer to the Ministry of Education website.

Managing infectious cases in schools — Ministry of Education (external link)

As measles is a notifiable disease, doctors, nurses and laboratories must inform the medical officer of health at their local public health service of any suspected or confirmed cases of measles. This means the most likely way you will find out about a case of measles in your education setting will be through a phone call from your local public health service team.

Notifiable diseases — Ministry of Health (external link)

What to expect from your public health service team

Your public health service team will contact you to:

• get information about who at your education setting could be at risk of measles
• provide you with information and guidance on how to prevent measles spreading further.

They will do this by:

• confirming details of when the person with measles attended
• identifying other people who had close contact with the person with measles and checking their immunity to measles
• advising you when staff or learners who have measles or are close contacts will be able to return to your education setting
• providing useful information for you to share with people about monitoring for measles symptoms, staying home if unwell, and getting immunised (see communicating with others when measles is a risk)
• providing ongoing support to your education setting as required.

The public health service will communicate directly with anyone at the education setting who is identified as having measles or is a close contact. Depending on the number of learners (or staff) involved, communication to close contacts may be through bulk text, school channels, or phone calls.

What you may be asked to do 

You may be asked to provide the following information:

• your attendance registers for the days the person with measles attended while they were infectious 
• first name, surname, date of birth for staff and learners who were on site at the same time as the person with measles
• contact details for staff, visitors and parents or caregivers who were on site at the same time as the person with measles
• information about the layout of your facility so your public health service team can determine the risk to others. 

Further guidance including an excel template for use in education settings is available in the preparing your attendance registers section below.

Preparing your attendance registers

You may also be asked to do the following to prevent any further spread of measles. 

1. Control access your education setting

Make sure the following people do not enter your education setting until they are advised by public health services that it is safe for them to return. This includes:

• anyone with measles (a case) who is at risk of infecting others
• anyone who is not immune to measles and has been in close contact with someone with measles (a close contact), so could be at risk of becoming infected. 

2. Contact your local public health service

Contact your local public health service urgently if you are concerned that someone else in your education setting has measles.

Contact public health services

With measles being a notifiable disease, it would be unusual for a person to be informed they have measles before the local public health service is informed. Diagnosing measles requires a positive measles laboratory test result, or confirmation by the public health service team that they meet certain criteria. 

However, if a health professional considers measles is a possible cause of a person’s symptoms, they will advise them to isolate (which means they should not leave their home) until their test results are available. If this happens, the staff member or learner will not be able to attend their education setting and they might advise you they have measles, even if this has not yet been confirmed.

Currently in Aotearoa, most people who are tested for measles do not end up getting a positive test result and their symptoms are caused by another illness.

What you should do 

If you are informed by a staff member, parent or caregiver that someone who attends or visits your education setting has measles it is important to check with your local public health service before taking any action.

Take the following steps.

• Advise the staff member, parent or caregiver of the learner that you will be contacting the local public health service for advice because measles is a notifiable disease, and that the public health service team may contact them.
• Advise the person who is suspected of having measles to stay at home and away from the education setting until they are told by the public health service team it is safe to return.
• Contact your local public health service urgently for advice.

Managing infectious disease cases in schools — Ministry of Education (external link)

Contact public health services

What your public health service can support with 

Your local public health service team will investigate to confirm if the staff member or learner has measles or not. They will advise and support your education setting as required.

If measles infection is confirmed through a positive test result, the public health service team will respond as outlined in the 'If someone at your education setting is a case' above. If the person does not have measles, the public health service team will inform the leader of your education setting. 

Many viruses can cause similar symptoms to measles, especially in children. Formal assessment, testing and diagnosis by a healthcare provider is needed to determine if a person has measles.

Measles is very unlikely to be the cause of the person’s symptoms if they have received 2 measles vaccines.

What you will need to do

If a person develops symptoms of measles when they are at your education setting, they should be isolated in a room away from other people until you can arrange for them to go home. Staff caring for the unwell person should be immune to measles and should wear a mask if they have one available.

Symptoms of measles — Health Information and Services (external link)

Visit our Health Information and Services website to find out how to wear a face mask safely to prevent the spread of infection. 

Face masks — Health Information and Services (external link)

Advise the unwell person (or their parent or caregiver) to do the following.

• Stay at home and seek urgent advice from their GP, hauora, Pacific or healthcare provider, or Healthline on 0800 611 116
• Phone ahead before visiting a healthcare facility so the facility can prepare for the unwell person's arrival to help prevent measles spreading to others.
• Wear a face mask for any in person appointments to reduce the risk of passing measles on. 
• Continue to stay home until a healthcare professional has confirmed they do not have measles and they are feeling well enough to go back to their education setting. Guidance for parents and caregivers on when it is safe to return is on our Health Information and Services website. 

Knowing if your child is well enough to go to school - guidance for parents and caregivers — Health Information and Services (external link)

Communicating with your local public health service

You do not need to contact your local public health service team in this scenario. If the health professional assessing the staff member or learner suspects they have measles they will inform the local public health service.

A 'close contact' is a person who has spent time with or has been close to someone with measles or has been in a room within the hour after the person with measles has left.

Any staff or learners identified as close contacts of a person with measles will be supported by the public health service team on a case-by-case basis. Any quarantine or restriction requirements will depend on their immune status.

Close contacts who do not have evidence that they are immune to measles will not be able to attend an education setting until they are advised by the public health service team that they can return. This includes close contacts who are partially immunised (that is, they have only had one measles vaccine).Exclusion from education settings due to quarantine or restriction requirements will usually be for at least 8 days — from day 7 after their first exposure until day 14 after their last exposure to a measles case. But this may need to be extended in some circumstances, including if there are exposures to cases over multiple days in the education setting.

Close contacts who are immune to measles do not need to quarantine. However, they may be required to stay home until their immune status is confirmed by the public health service team. This may take time if there are many close contacts to check.

Our Health Information and Services website has advice on how to check your immunity to measles.

Check your measles immunity — Health Information and Services (external link)

Close contacts are at risk of developing measles until 21 days after their exposure to a case. Close contacts will be advised by public health services to watch for symptoms of measles for 7 days after their release from quarantine or restrictions (after day 14 to day 21). They will be advised to stay home and seek urgent health advice if they develop any symptoms.

Education setting staff should be aware of the symptoms of measles. If they suspect any close contacts (staff or learners) who have recently returned to school have measles, staff should:

• isolate the symptomatic close contact in a room away from other people until they can go home (follow guidance in the If someone at your education setting develops similar symptoms to measles section above)
• contact public health services and let them know there is a symptomatic close contact.

Contact public health services (external link)

Parents and caregivers should be made aware that if their child is identified as a close contact of someone with measles, they will not be able to attend the education setting if they do not have evidence that they are immune (that is, they have had 2 doses of MMR vaccine after the age of 12 months or evidence of previous measles infection).

Close contacts who are immune to measles may be required to stay away from the education setting only until their immune status is confirmed by the public health service team. They can then continue with their usual activities — including attending the education setting.

The best way to ensure learners are protected against measles and can continue with their usual activities is for them to be immunised. Guidance on how to support learners to check if they are protected from measles and how to get immunised is described in the following sections.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, vaccination records are held on the Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR).

Encourage staff to check their measle vaccinations are recorded on My Health Record which displays all vaccinations information held in AIR. If vaccination records do not appear, or there is no record of measles immunity on Health Record they should follow the advice below on how to check or confirm immunisation records.

My Health Record (external link)

Check your measles immunity (external link)

• People born or living in Aotearoa New Zealand before 1969 are not usually recommended to have the MMR vaccine. Measles was widespread at that time, so most people in this group are considered immune from having measles.
• People born overseas before 1969 who did not live in Aotearoa New Zealand before 1969 may still need immunisation. This depends on their country of origin, as measles vaccination was introduced earlier in some countries than others. They should talk with their healthcare provider or vaccinator. If there are no clear immunisation records, vaccination is recommended.
• People born after 1 January 1969 need 2 measles vaccinations given after 12 months of age to be fully protected (immune).
• People born between 1969 and 2004 may not have received 2 measles vaccinations, even if they had all their childhood immunisations. This is because the recommended number of doses and the timing of measles vaccination changed over time
• People born in Aotearoa New Zealand after 2004 are likely to have their immunisation records recorded on the Aotearoa Immunisation Register

Staff can check their measles immunisation records through their:

• childhood My Health Book, for example, Well Child Tamariki Ora 'My Health Book' or Plunket book
• doctor or healthcare provider
• laboratory results
• overseas immunisation records.

Our Health Information and Services website explain how staff and learners can check if they are immune to measles and get a copy of their immunisation record.

Measles immunity (external link)

Get a copy of your immunisation record (external link)

Staff are recommended to keep a personal record of evidence of their immunity

This should include the dates the vaccines were given so they can provide it quickly to public health services if required. Staff can do this by taking a photo or scan of the record and emailing it to themselves or by printing a copy and keeping it in a safe place. They should also talk to their healthcare provider about getting their immunisation records added to the Aotearoa Immunisation Register. (external link)

Education settings can also support staff and learners who have recently arrived in Aotearoa by sharing the ‘Information about immunisations’ letter. This provides guidance on immunisations recommended in Aotearoa and how to access these.

Information about immunisations recommended in Aotearoa New Zealand (NIP9064) — HealthEd (external link)

Encourage staff and learners to get immunised if they are not immune or do not have evidence of immunisation Everyone born after 1 January 1969 is recommended to have 2 documented doses of measles vaccine given after the age of 12 months. The MMR vaccine is free for everyone under 18 years old and anyone who is eligible for funded healthcare in Aotearoa. Everyone else who is recommended by Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora or public health services to get immunised can also get the vaccine for free.

As of 1 October 2025, Health New Zealand has agreed to fund MMR vaccine doses during measles outbreaks for non-immune adults (18 years and over) who are not typically eligible for funded healthcare. This is implemented as directed by local public health service teams and communicated by Health New Zealand to relevant immunisation providers in affected districts and regions.

For most people, it is safe to have extra MMR vaccines even if it is possible they are already immune. Staff and learners should talk to their GP, hauora, Pacific or healthcare provider if they:

• are pregnant
• have a condition or are taking medication that could suppress their immune system (such as some cancer treatments)

How to get immunised

Staff and learners can:

• book an MMR vaccine through their usual healthcare provider
• book online at Book My Vaccine (external link)— many pharmacies also offer a walk-in immunisation service
• call the Vaccination Helpline on 0800 28 29 26

Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine — Health Information and Services (external link)

Primary schools and early learning services are no longer required to keep an immunisation register following revocation of the Health (Immunisation) Regulations 1995 on 8 January 2026.

The Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) has replaced this function and authorised healthcare providers, and medical officers of health are able to to access immuniisation records as required to support outbreak response. The AIR is New Zealand's national register for recording immunisation activity.

Health New Zealand recommends education providers to promote immunisation as best protection for staff and learners, using the free resources (as detailed below), including sharing guidance for people new to Aotearoa.

Aotearoa Immunisation Register (AIR) (external link)

Promote immunisation by ordering and displaying the free immunisation posters and other resources available on HealthEd. Note there are translated versions available for many of the resources linked below.

Immunisation resources - HealthEd (external link)

If someone with measles has attended the education setting while they were infectious, public health services will ask you to provide attendance records of staff and students who they had contact with and who may be at risk of measles.

An excel template is available for you to download which includes the preferred list of information required by public health services to rapidly contact and assess close contacts.

Download the excel template to supply information to public health services [XLSX, 21 KB]

Consider having this information ready ahead of time so that staff and learners who have been exposed can be identified from the register and the list can be shared with public health services if needed.