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Source: ONE News
The Ministry of Health says non-immunised children may be quarantined at home to contain the spread of measles.
It is renewing calls for parents to get their children immunised against the disease, or risk having well children sent home from school.
The number of notified measles cases so far this year is already seven times the total number of last year.
Ministry spokesman Dr Pat Tuohy says they are very concerned about the outbreak and says people could die if action is not taken to contain it.
Tuohy says the epidemic could result in thousands of children and adults being infected, a significant number admitted to hospital and a handful of deaths and yet all are avoidable.
The ministry says a proportion of parents make the conscious decision not to immunise their child but there is also a significant number who never get around to it or are worried and so keep delaying the vaccination.
Tuohy says measles is a serious viral disease that can make people very sick with complications including ear infections, pneumonia and encephalitis.
It is also highly infectious as one case can infect up to 12 other people.
To date 18 people have been confirmed with the virus in the Auckland region.
