With more than 42 days since the last confirmed connected case on 21 December, the measles outbreak that started in September 2025 can now be declared over.  

Health New Zealand’s National Public Health Service (NPHS), with the support of PHF Science and the Measles Reference Lab at Canterbury Health Laboratories, have been able to connect cases in the outbreak as far back as 1 September 2025, with four separate incursions over the period up until 21 December.  

Public Health Medicine Specialist Dr Emma Sherwood said this further analysis of the linkages between cases and their original sources has allowed the NPHS to provide improved and updated case data. 

“This brings the number of cases connected to this outbreak to 48,” Dr Sherwood says.

“Being able to close this outbreak is a significant achievement. Our outbreak response involved public health services working across the country with local communities over the past four months to manage 48 cases and over 7500 contacts. 

“It’s important to acknowledge the coordinated work of the public health service and contact tracing systems, alongside strong community cooperation with isolation requirements, undoubtedly prevented a much larger outbreak similar to 2019.

“It is also heartening that, thanks to a massive immunisation push during this outbreak response, nearly 107,000 doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine have been delivered to people across the country over the last four months.”

However, New Zealand remains at continued risk for further outbreaks, and the NPHS continues to closely monitor for and respond to further incursions or cases of measles, such as the travel-associated case in Tauranga confirmed last week. 

“Although the latest Tauranga case and the recent outbreak are not connected, they highlight New Zealand’s ongoing vulnerability to measles infection – particularly as links to overseas travel are a common thread,” Dr Sherwood says.

“It’s highly likely that we will continue to have future measles cases and outbreaks. Many popular travel destinations are experiencing outbreaks, and there is a risk of travellers bringing measles back to New Zealand, where we know we have low immunisation rates in some communities. 

“That’s why we continue to urge anyone not already immunised with two doses of the MMR vaccine after 12 months’ old to get vaccinated to protect themselves and loved ones against future outbreaks.”