New measles case in Manawatū, two more in Wairarapa

Three new cases of measles have been confirmed today, with one from Manawatū, health officials say.

The new cases, which are all linked to recent cases in the Wairarapa and overseas travel, bring the total number of cases in the outbreak to eight.

National Public Health Service medical officer of health Dr Craig Thornley said one of the new cases may have been infectious at several locations in Feilding for a "brief period".

Exposure sites included local branches of New World, The Warehouse, and Bunnings Warehouse. The visits happened last Friday afternoon.

Thornley said: "Although the case did everything right as advised by public health services, because they unexpectedly developed symptoms sooner than usual, we’ve taken a cautious approach by going back to check any locations they may have visited just before going into quarantine.

“That’s identified six new locations of interest in Feilding where the case visited on Friday, July 11, while potentially infectious.

"However, as these visits were brief and occurred within a small window, just as with the Wairarapa case locations, the wider risk to the public is considered low."

People who were at the locations of interest during exposure times are considered casual contacts by health authorities.

"We are advising anyone who may have visited the Feilding locations at the same times as the case to monitor themselves for symptoms, such as a high fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes or a rash that spreads down the body," Thornley said.

Specific timings of locations of interest are available on the Health NZ website. People who visited the locations are urged to monitor for symptoms until Friday, August 1.

People who have symptoms or need advice have been urged to contact their GP, usual healthcare provider, or call Healthline.