Science Media Centre

Prestigious medical journal The Lancet has formally retracted the paper in which Andrew Wakefield, the doctor behind claims that the MMR vaccine can be linked to autism, first claimed such effects. The MMR, or measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, came under scrutiny in the late 1990s when Andrew Wakefield, a British doctor, wrote a paper [...]

More funding for immunisation in New Zealand could have a significant effect, possibly eliminating measles and substantially reducing the incidence of other diseases, says a local expert. Dr Nikki Turner, director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre at Auckland University, says the government subsidies need to be heightened to ensure that medical practices have the ability [...]

The measles outbreak which first began in Christchurch in early July has now spread to Auckland. The outbreak, which began at a Christchurch high school, soon spread to other schools in the city, although it was initially reported that it had been contained. It was quickly identified that some of those affected had, in fact, [...]

A significant outbreak of measles in Christchurch is continuing to spread.   The incident started at the beginning of July when 4 students at a local high school were diagnosed with the disease.  Currently, there are 21 confirmed cases of measles in Christchurch, and the possibility of its spread to other schools and a childcare [...]