Surge In Measles Vaccine Demand

Pharmac has reported a sharp rise in demand for the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine as health authorities respond to growing concerns about potential outbreaks. However, the drug-funding agency says it has ample stock to meet demand.

Pharmaceutical funding manager Claire Pouwels confirmed that Pharmac maintains a “significant safety buffer” of 100,000 doses, with additional shipments due later this month and in December, reported RNZ.

“As of 27 October, there are 113,000 doses available, which includes this emergency buffer,” Pouwels said. “On average, around 15,000 doses are used each month and during the 2019 outbreak, total usage was 88,130 doses over two months. Based on these figures, we are confident that current stock levels would cover expected usage in an outbreak,” RNZ reported.

In Wellington, where hundreds are considered close contacts, orders for the vaccine have surged in recent days. Similar increases have been reported in Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, and Whangārei, reported RNZ.

Pharmac assured the public it is closely monitoring vaccine usage and can quickly source additional stock if necessary.