Today we’re confirming an additional two cases of measles. This brings the total number of measles cases in this response to 13.

As cases are identified our contact tracing team is working quickly to identify locations of interest and close contacts.

One of the cases is a close contact of a previously confirmed case in Auckland. The second case is also in Auckland. Health New Zealand is currently assessing any links between this person with measles and other cases. There are a number of new locations of interest connected to this case, and these will be uploaded to our website as they are confirmed.

Immunisation is the best protection against measles. When given from 12 months of age, two doses of the Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine protects about 99 per cent of people from getting measles.

Since the first case, we’ve launched a nationally coordinated response, increased our workforce for contact tracing, and expanded access to immunisation.

Immunisation numbers are now the highest they’ve been in years - a testament to our health workforce and New Zealanders who have acted on the risk. We aim to boost those numbers further with an upcoming measles immunisation week (3-7 November).