Lakes District Health Board (Lakes DHB) and Bay of Plenty District Health Board (BOPDHB) MMR Vaccination Plan - 1 November 2019 1 Nov 2019
The National Health Coordination Centre Response Manager has endorsed the joint Lakes District Health Board (Lakes DHB) and Bay of Plenty District Health Board (BOPDHB) MMR vaccination plan to proactively manage and contain the 2019 measles outbreak.
Tēnā koutou,
The National Health Coordination Centre Response Manager has endorsed the joint Lakes District Health Board (Lakes DHB) and Bay of Plenty District Health Board (BOPDHB) MMR vaccination plan to proactively manage and contain the 2019 measles outbreak.
Please note and action the following:
- The number one priority remains the MMR vaccination programme of two MMR vaccinations for under 5 years olds. Please continue to prioritise on-time routine vaccination episodes and recall children who are overdue.
- GP Practices, Lakes DHB, and BOPDHB, can now vaccinate 5-14 year old children who have not received one MMR . This should occur through the GP Practices usual business routines and by opportunistic vaccination within identified departments in our respective hospitals, e.g. ED’s, outpatient departments etc.
- GP Practices, Lakes DHB, and BOPDHB should continue to ensure the safety of their staff who may come into contact with measles cases. Understanding the immunity status of staff and any consequent MMR vaccination programme is the responsibility of the GP Practice and DHB’s to implement in their business as usual models. DHBs may need to consider staff in their contracted NGOs.
- GP Practices should now begin to arrange appointments for their patients who have requested an MMR vaccination and are on existing waiting lists.
- GP practices should not turn away non- immune patients outside the priority groups. Please manage immunisation as currently via your waiting lists
It is paramount that vaccination supply is well managed each week and that we don’t over order or allow ‘spikes’ in delivery that would call into question our strategy to increase overall community immunisation coverage. One MMR vaccination provides immunity in most people, so the second vaccination can be delayed as required to manage vaccine stock, until such time as the current outbreak is controlled ands vaccine supply further improves.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) have been very clear with us not to prioritise the 15-29 year old group, at present, so we should not actively recall patients at the moment, but should plan additional vaccination for this group in the New Year. Any planning for this age group and older needs to be considerate of MoH’s intention to roll out a community pharmacy MMR programme in 2020.
Ngā mihi,
Martin Steinmann
Incident Controller
Toi Te Ora Public Health