Health Emergency Response
Other Infectious Risks
Infectious diseases are monitored and reported by Canterbury by Community & Public Health. Some diseases are notifiable by health practitioners to the Medical Officer of Health. These include: campylobacter, salmonella, giardia, typhoid, cholera, listeria, hepatitis A, B and C, measles, mumps, pertussis (whooping cough), rubella, meningitis, legionella, avian influenza and, now, coronavirus (COVID-19).
Prevention is a priority for Community & Public Health and the National Immunisation Programme is helpful to protect against many diseases. For more information about immunization, click here. For more information on Infectious Disease Management, see the Ministry of Health guidelines here.
Pertussis Awareness
The national pertussis outbreak continues with 36 new cases in Canterbury in the month of May 2025. The Pertussis HealthPathway has been significantly updated with emphasis on testing criteria for the current outbreak and guidance to aid providers in taking a targeted history that supports Public Health Referral. A dedicated ERMS template for pertussis referrals to Public Health is currently under development.
Measles
05 June 2025 Following on from a measles case identified in Auckland on 10 May 2025, a public health advisory from the National Public Health Service was issued, and updates were made to Measles – Community HealthPathways Waitaha.
All healthcare professionals are urged to please remain vigilant for people presenting with measles symptoms and to take precautions – particularly if seeing anyone who may have travelled overseas recently.
- Notify public health services immediately of all suspected cases—do not wait for test results.
- Isolate suspected cases promptly and test using PCR; samples must be taken by the assessing clinician, not at lab collection centres.
- Promote and offer MMR vaccination to anyone unvaccinated or with uncertain immunity.
- Prioritise vaccination for people aged 21–56 and infants aged 4–12 months before overseas travel.
It is also important that health care professionals are aware of the potential impact on Primary Care businesses if a case presents at a healthcare facility. The recent Auckland case required staff from a general practice, pharmacy and community lab to be stood down from work until their immunity status could be confirmed—causing major disruption.
Measles immunity for healthcare workers – important measures:
- All staff born in New Zealand after 1 January 1969 should have two documented doses of the MMR vaccine
- Those without documentation should be vaccinated (MMR vaccination is free for all children under 18 years in New Zealand, and adults aged 18 and over who are eligible for free New Zealand healthcare)
- Serology is only recommended if a staff member is unwilling to receive the vaccine (Serology is not generally recommended or funded because of the cost and the time taken for the result to be known).
- Documentation should be complete, up to date, and readily accessible.
Under current guidance, all healthcare staff are considered close contacts if exposed to a measles case. Non-immune or partially immune staff may be excluded from work for up to 21 days unless immunity is confirmed.
Please ensure you have a process in place to verify and record staff immunity to prevent avoidable staff shortages and protect vulnerable patients.
A full summary regarding Measles immunity for healthcare workers
Other useful links:
- Te Whatu Ora – Measles
- Communicable Disease Control Manual.
- People travelling to a region where there is an active outbreak of measles – regions with measles outbreaks can be found here.
Previous measles updates from CPRG:
Novel Coronavirus (SARS-C0V-2)
For the latest news regarding Coronavirus please visit Te Whatu Ora Waitaha’s website and Ministry websites (for public and for clinicians). For clinical management guidelines, visit Community HealthPathways. For CPRG updates visit our COVID-19 Response page.
- COVID-19 testing is now achieved using self administered Rapid Antigen Testing (RATs) available at many community pharmacies across the region (see Healthpoint).
- The community testing centres at 174 Orchard Rd, Whanau Ora at 250 Pages Road and Ashburton (South Street) are now permanently closed.
- You can no longer order routine PPE supplies direct from CPRG as this is supplied via the MoH centralised distribution programme. Guidance for use of PPE is available on Community HealthPathways. New Ministry guidelines for the use of PPE in healthcare can be found on the MoH website.
- Healthline’s dedicated COVID-19 phone number is 0800 358 5453 for people concerned about COVID-19. This is free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. People ringing Healthline to enquire about swabbing will be referred to their general practice or, if after hours or unenrolled, an urgent care facility or testing site.
- The public are encouraged to visit Healthpoint to find local testing and vaccination providers.
Ebola
The last Ebola scare in New Zealand was in 2015, but it pays to be aware of worldwide trends. The Ministry of Health has an excellent resource for health providers here or visit HealthPathways.
Ebola Resources