Measles immunity

Measles is a serious and highly contagious disease. It makes most people very sick and can cause severe complications, including damage to the lungs (pneumonia), brain swelling (encephalitis), and sometimes death.  Measles also affects your immune system, so if you get measles you are more likely to get other infectious illnesses for months or years afterwards. 

Aotearoa New Zealand is at a very high risk of a measles outbreak. Measles cases are rising worldwide, increasing the risk of an infected person bringing measles into the country. This is happening while a decline in local childhood immunisation rates is being recorded.

Across Aotearoa, people’s immunity to measles is currently too low to prevent outbreaks from happening.

A person can be infectious before they develop measles symptoms and know they are sick. So you may not know if or when you have been — or will be exposed to the disease.

Symptoms of measles (internal link)

This is why being immune to measles is important.

If you are immune and you are exposed to someone with measles:

• you will not get sick
• you will not be at risk of passing the illness on to anyone else
• you will not need to stay home in quarantine if public health identifies you as a close contact.

You can become immune to measles in 2 ways:

• by having measles before
• by getting two doses of a measles vaccine after the age of 12 months. In Aotearoa, this is known as the combination measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine.

If you were born in Aotearoa New Zealand before 1969 it is likely you are immune to measles. This is because before this time there were no measles vaccines, so most people were infected with measles during childhood.

It is important to find records to confirm if you are immune to measles and not rely on your own or anyone else’s memory.

This is because many viral illnesses can cause symptoms like measles, particularly in tamariki (children). In the past, people may have mistakenly been told they had measles when they had another illness instead.

It is also common for people to be told they received vaccines as a child, but without written records, no one can be sure what vaccines they received and when they received them.

In Aotearoa, the timing of when measles vaccines have been given to a person has changed a lot over the years. This means many people are not aware that they missed out on getting one or both of their measles vaccines. This is particularly likely for people born in Aotearoa between 1969 and 1980.

Measles immunity by year of birth (as at end of 2023) — Regional Public Health (external link)

To find out if you are immune to measles, you can check your relevant immunisation records or test results. Proof of this information is needed for a healthcare professional to confirm if you are immune.

Test results

Test results include either:

• a positive measles polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test taken via a swab to confirm a previous measles infection
• a blood test confirming the presence of measles antibodies indicating you are immune to measles.

Immunisation records

This would include medical records of 2 measles vaccines given to you after you were 12 months of age. 

The immunisation record information saved for you may differ depending on when and where you received your vaccinations and could include any of the following details (using the full or abbreviated names for the different measles vaccines that are available).

• That you have been given the combination measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. The MMR vaccine was first introduced in 1990 in Aotearoa.  
• Before 1990, people born in Aotearoa received the measles (M) vaccine.  Before 1981, this vaccine was given to babies at age 10 months instead of the current immunisation timing of after 12 months.

Outside of Aotearoa, there are 4 different types of measles vaccines available This means if you were born overseas, you may have received a: 

• measles (M) vaccine
• combination measles, rubella (MR) vaccine
• combination measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine
• combination measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (MMRV) vaccine. 

If you received any of these vaccines before the age of 12 months, you may only have short-term protection from measles and will need to be given more MMR vaccines to be considered immune and fully protected.

If you need help to understand what your immunisation records mean, contact your doctor or healthcare provider. You can also call Healthline free on 0800 611 116, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Because measles is a great risk to the public, Public Health Services must take any confirmed or suspected cases of measles very seriously.

If you are identified by Public Health as being a measles close contact, you will be asked for evidence of your immunity so the healthcare team can provide you with relevant advice to help protect you and others around you if needed.

Information for close contacts (internal link)

For this reason, if you find evidence of your immunity to measles it is important that you keep a personal record so you can provide it quickly to Public Health if required. You can do this by taking a photo or scan of the record and email it to yourself or print a copy and keep it in a safe place.

If you are not immune to measles, or have not been able to find evidence that you are immune, you can get vaccinated now which means you will be protected against measles in the future.

Alternatively, before getting vaccinated you could have a blood test to check your measles immunity.

It is recommended you discuss both of these options with your doctor or healthcare provider. 

Get immunised

To be considered immune to measles, you will need to have 2 MMR vaccines at least one month apart.

The MMR vaccine is free for people in Aotearoa who are not immune to measles, mumps or rubella and who are either:

• aged 18 and under
• over the age of 18 and eligible for free New Zealand healthcare.

Before getting vaccinated, talk to your doctor, lead maternity carer or other healthcare provider if you:

• are pregnant
• have a condition or are taking medication that could suppress your immune system (such as some cancer treatments)
• were born before 1969.

If you are pregnant you will need to wait until after your pēpi (baby) is born. 

Immunocompromised people will need to talk to their usual doctor or healthcare provider about whether the measles vaccine is suitable for them.

For everyone else, it is safe to get vaccinated even if it’s possible that you are already immune to measles.

Your doctor, healthcare provider and many community pharmacies will be able to provide you with more information and offer you measles vaccines if necessary.

Measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine (internal link)

Check your immunity with a blood test

If you have not been able to find proof that you are immune to measles and you do not want to get vaccinated again, getting a blood test is a reliable way to confirm if you are immune to the disease.  

The test will check for measles antibodies in your blood. 

The test may not be free. Discuss potential costs with your doctor or healthcare provider.

You should get your results within 48 hours. If your results show you are not immune to measles, to be protected you will need to have 2 MMR vaccines at least 4 weeks apart.