Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi will have a presence in Waitangi until contact tracing has been completed or the virus has been contained. File photo. Photo: 123RF / ILARIA PANNETTA
A mobile health clinic has been set up at Waitangi's Te Tii Marae today, with concerns measles could be spreading in the Bay of Islands.
Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi chief executive Tia Ashby said many people had strong feelings about immunisation, so there would be no pressure on people to get vaccinated.
"What we want to do is get the message out that we're here to listen, to awhi [support] and make sure people receive trusted information. And, ultimately, if they'd like to get a vaccine, then we can provide it on the spot."
Tia Ashby. Photo: RNZ/Peter de Graaf
Ashby said some people thought measles was little more than a rash, but it spread quickly and could lead to serious complications.
"So we need to take it seriously, and provide clear information to help people make an informed decision whether or not immunisation is right for them," she said.
"Our priority is protecting our Tamariki, kaumātua and those most at risk, because if they get measles they could end up in hospital."
Ashby said Te Hau Ora o Ngāpuhi would have a presence in Waitangi on Tuesdays and Thursdays until contact tracing had been completed or the virus had been contained.
Other iwi and mainstream health providers would cover the other days, with Ngāti Hine Health Trust planning to set up next to Waitangi Bridge on Friday.
Ashby said there had been few takers so far today, but she put that down to poor weather keeping people at home across the Bay of Islands.
She said staff were also able to visit people at home, or make bookings at the organisation's Kaikohe clinic.
So far the number of cases confirmed in Northland remained at four, unchanged since Saturday.
National Public Health Service clinical director Susan Jack said all four cases were no longer infectious but she urged people to remain vigilant for measles symptoms.
They included a fever, cough, runny nose, sore eyes and a rash that started on the face and spread down the body.
Another case identified in Queenstown on Monday was unrelated to the Northland cases, but all were thought to be linked to overseas travel.
Ngāti Hine Health Trust was also planning to send mobile clinics to Kerikeri and rural areas around Moerewa from Wednesday.
Te Tii Marae chairman Ngati Kawa Taituha urged Bay of Islands residents, via a social media post, to "please keep an eye on our tamariki mokopuna".
He said the infection had been identified in Haruru, Waitangi, Paihia and Kerikeri, and the first person with symptoms had been for a check-up three times before ending up in A&E in Kawakawa.
He urged people to take symptoms seriously - but also to let people make up their own minds about immunisation.
"I got told by the health professionals it's the macho ones who usually end up in hospital because they ignore everything and think they're invincible. So don't be that guy, take every precaution as it's contagious and is slowly spreading through our community … [and] please don't guilt trip anybody for making their own decisions to care for the health of their own whānau. Everybody has to make up their own minds and do what they think is right for them."
Taituha also urged Northlanders to take other steps to stay healthy: "Go for a walk, cut back on the takeaways or just soak up the fresh air and positive vibes that you get from your friends and whānau".
Roddy Hapati-Pihema Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf
Moerewa community leader Roddy Hapati-Pihema said his concern was that many Northland children had not been vaccinated.
"When you look back at the mandates for Covid, they created mistrust and because of that a lot of families are not vaccinating their children. So, if something were to go wrong it could go really, really bad.
"We saw what happened in the islands, and that's something I don't want for our region," he said, referring to the Samoan measles outbreak of 2019 that led to more than 80 deaths.
Hapati-Pihema said the issue was nationwide, and not just confined to Northland.
He did not know precisely where the four confirmed cases were, and did not need to know.
"The privacy of those people is crucial. All I need to know is that measures are being taken to prevent a wider outbreak."
Meanwhile, many of those lining up at Ngāti Hine Health Trust's clinic in Kawakawa this week said they had decided to get immunised to protect the children around them.
Raphael, from Kawakawa, said he had heard there was a small outbreak in Bay of Islands, and workmates had told him family members were getting sick.
"So I just wanted to cover my own safety by getting a shot, especially because I'm around a lot of babies that go to local kohanga, nephews and nieces, and I wanted to be safe around them as well."
Lulu, a health worker, said her children had been immunised and she assumed she was too - but a check of her medical records on Monday showed she wasn't.
"I work with a lot of hapū māmā (pregnant mothers), because they can't get the immunisation I just wanted to make everyone I work with is safe."
Lulu said she was also concerned about the possibility of catching the virus at work and bringing it home to her family.
Learning about what had happened in Samoa in 2019 was the decider for her, she said.
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