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.
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.
Measles
A review of the Canterbury measles response has been completed and feedback has been received from a wide group of stakeholders, including general practice teams. CPRG extends their gratitude to general practice for their extraordinary response. The recommendations can be reviewed in the link below:
Immunisation is the best protection to stop people from getting measles. According to the 20 November 2019 National Health Advisory, the current national priorities for active recall for MMR (measles, mumps rubella) vaccination are:
- Ensure all children receive their vaccinations on time at 15 months (12 months in Auckland) and four years to maintain the national Childhood Immunisation Schedule
- Susceptible close contacts within 72 hours of first exposure to measles when possible
- Babies aged six months to 11 months who live in Auckland or who are travelling to Auckland or overseas to a country that has an active outbreak of measles
- In accordance with the National Immunisation Schedule, all children under five who have not received either dose of MMR should be actively recalled. We consider active recall of this group to be in line with the priority groups
- People under the age of 50 travelling from New Zealand to Samoa, Tonga, Philippines, and Fiji
- People travelling to a region where there is an active outbreak of measles – regions with measles outbreaks can be found here.
“Anyone who is not immunised and gets exposed to a case of measles will need to stay home for at least 14 days to ensure the virus doesn’t spread,” says Dr Caroline McElnay, Director of Public Health at the Ministry of Health.
Anyone who suspects they may have measles should avoid contact with other people, especially those who aren’t fully immunised, and phone their General Practice team. For more information either look here or call 0800 IMMUNE.
Recent measles updates from CPRG:
- CPRG Measles Update 5 April 2019
- CPRG Measles Update 28 March 2019
- CPRG Measles and Influenza Update 19 March 2019
- CPRG Measles Update 14 March 2019
- CPRG Measles Update 13 March 2019 new priorities
- CPRG Measles Update 12 March 2019 vaccine orders
- CPRG Measles Update 11 March 2019 vaccine supply
- CPRG Measles Update 11 March 2019
- CPRG Measles Update 8 March 2019
- CPRG Measles Update 7 March 2019
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