Latest news with #RNZNewZealand
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Pacific Health Expert Says Auckland Measles Case Is A ‘Red Flag'
Article – RNZ New Zealand is on alert for measles after a case was identified in Auckland over the weekend. A Pacific health expert is encouraging everyone to get vaccinated to keep their families and other Pacific nations safe. Aotearoa is on alert for measles after a case was identified in Auckland over the weekend. The country's public health agency issued the alert on Sunday after a ferry worker was identified as infectious with measles while at work and in public. Measles is a highly infectious and potentially deadly disease. It infects children as well as adults and spreads through coughing, sneezing or talking. Up to 90 percent of non-immune people – those who have not been vaccinated against measles, or have not had it already – will be infected if exposed to the virus. Dr Api Talemaitoga said Pacific communities are particularly susceptible to the disease due to low vaccination rates. In December, 70.4 percent of Pacific babies were fully vaccinated (two measles, mumps and rubella – MMR – shots) at age two, according to health data. For Māori, the rate was 63.3 percent. Overall, 76.4 percent of two-year-olds were fully vaccinated. Two doses of the MMR vaccine prevent measles in 95 percent of people over the age of one, and 98 percent of those aged over 18 months. Dr Talemaitoga said the Auckland case was 'a red flag' for Pacific communities. 'Because for Pacific, we know the history of what happened several years ago, where we effectively exported measles to Samoa resulting in the death of 80-plus young children. 'We don't want that to happen.' Cases were reported in American Samoa in 2023. Dr Talemaitoga said to prevent outbreaks of measles, 95 percent of the population needs to be fully immunised. A high immunisation rate is also important for preventing the disease from spreading within Pacific families and communities, and to smaller Pacific nations, he said. 'Our islands will really struggle to respond. 'Their health systems are stretched. They do their best with the resources that they've got, and it's fantastic what they can do, but this is like an added burden on already stretched health systems in our Pacific Island nations, and so I think we really need to be careful.' Dr Talemaitoga said Pacific families living in New Zealand must be vigilant. 'Traditionally [in New Zealand], we live in overcrowded houses. We tend to have a lot of family gatherings. And if someone is unknowingly or unwittingly unwell, they can pass on this measles virus to others,' he said. 'Pacific people also have higher rates of comorbidities – respiratory problems, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure – things that may lower their immunity and make them more susceptible to the virus.' Vaccinologist professor Helen Petousis-Harris said the latest measles case confirmed in Auckland highlights the 'ticking time bomb' of low vaccine rates. Petousis-Harris told Pacific Waves that measles vaccination numbers have been declining in Aotearoa including among Pasifika communities, and the drop is due to a number of factors. 'We need it to be easy for people to access the services,' she said. 'We need to be able to support the frontline services to make sure that they are able to deliver. 'But also, we have had an increase in hesitancy, a loss of trust, and the challenge of misinformation. So, we have got all of these things against us at the moment.' She said the covid pandemic did not help with vaccine rates, but since then they have continued to decline every year. 'We did really well to about 2016 and then they began to decline. 'We are now at a stage where we have extremely low coverage, particularly in some communities. 'For example, among Māori infants at the moment, there could be less than half of them who have received their measles vaccine.' Health New Zealand has published a list of locations the ferry worker was at while infectious from 3-5 May on its website. All locations of interest are in Auckland. Anyone who may have been exposed to the disease or has symptoms should call their GP and seek healthcare advice. Measles symptoms include fever, coughing, a runny nose and watery pink eyes. Those infected can also get small white spots on the back of their inner cheek. Symptoms start between seven and 18 days after exposure. Those infected with measles should isolate and stay away from work and school.
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
When Will 33,000 People Who've Lost Their Jobs Get Them Back?
Article – RNZ New Zealand's unemployment rate may have plateaued but the downturn has left more than 30,000 fewer people in work. Data on Wednesday showed the unemployment rate unchanged at 5.1 percent in the March quarter, or 156,000 people unemployed. Economist Shamubeel Eaqub said the drop in employment had been less sharp than in the last major downturn, in the Global Financial Crisis. From the peak to the trough of the GFC, 59,000 New Zealand jobs were lost. So far this time, that number is 33,000. But the impact has not been felt evenly. People aged between 15 and 29 have been particularly affected. In contrast, there have been significantly more people employed, by number, in the 29 to 35 age bracket, and 65-plus. Those with no qualifications or lower secondary have also lost most of the jobs. The number of people with NCEA qualifications and degrees working has increased from December 2023 until now. Auckland has suffered the most job losses, followed by Gisborne-Hawkes Bay and Wellington. Otago has gained jobs over the same period. Eaqub said the GFC was a deep fall and it took five-and-a-quarter years for the labour market to recover. 'That was quite brutal in that recovery. This time around we seem to be seeing we have found a floor, even though it is a very tentative one.' He said there was still weakness in the detail – the job growth in the March quarter was almost all in part-time workers. The fact that some regions were better off than others, such as Otago benefiting from tourism and Manawatu-Whanganui being boosted by its local industry, showed the New Zealand economy had some helpful diversification, he said. People leaving the country were included in the data. 'The outflow of people hasn't offset the job losses. Employment rates have fallen across every age group. The reason why job losses have taken place for young people is not because they have left, but because they have left and they've lost jobs. Both of those things are true.' He said people without qualifications were always hit the hardest. 'We are seeing older people working a lot more. The employment rate among older people has been increasing substantially over the course of the last 15 years. Older people are hanging on to jobs longer.' Eaqub said the most recent downturn had only lasted a year, although it might feel longer to people because of the impact of the pandemic. 'We had the recession of the pandemic, then a strong recovery then another recession in quick succession. That's why it feels like it's been relentless.' He would feel confident that the worst was over when businesses started advertising jobs again. Job ads are still way down. 'Until that picks up, I don't have confidence that the current perking up of optimism is enough.' Infometrics economist Matthew Allman said he expected it would be later this year or early next before the 33,000 jobs lost were recovered. 'Although, uncertainties around global growth due to the US tariffs pose some downside risks to investment and employment which may delay the recovery of the lost jobs.' He said the 21,000 jobs lost in the year to March could be regained by the second half of this year. Mike Jones, chief economist at BNZ, said the unemployment rate could have further to climb. 'Our forecasts build in a peak of around 5.5 percent. And some of the broader indicators of the labour market – things like departures of NZ citizens offshore and falling labour market participation – perhaps point to labour market conditions a little softer than what headline unemployment rate would suggest. 'We don't expect things to turn around quickly. The labour market is a classic lagging indicator and we're still in a 'slow n' low' growth environment. We've also got to factor in the additional uncertainty from offshore and what that might mean for firms' hiring intentions. But assuming the nascent recovery slowly builds in momentum we'd expect to see firms start to hire again with a little more vigour and the unemployment rate start to fall around the end of the year. A return to outright strong conditions looks a way off though, perhaps a story for late 2026.'
