Measles vaccinations may soon be available and given in pharmacies as the government rushes to ramp up the immunisations and halt the spread of the disease.
There's been 1868 confirmed cases this year, with 1507 of them in Auckland. Over a third of those people have been hospitalised.
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter says six-month-old babies in Auckland will now get a free vaccine, and nationwide all children under 15 who haven't had their MMR vaccine can get immunised.
Over 107,000 vaccines are being distributed across the country this week with another 155,000 to arrive over the next three months.
The announcement comes as questions are raised about the measles epidemic in Samoa, which has already claimed the life of a toddler.
After a vaccination tragedy in Samoa last year in which two young children died, the immunisation rate has plummeted, leaving the country vulnerable.
Health authorities there say it's highly likely a person travelling from Auckland to Apia for a conference carried measles, and there's now seven confirmed cases there.
Alex Perrottet and cameraman Nick Monro went to Papatoetoe High School in South Auckland, and asked Julie Anne Genter and began by asking how worried she was about the worst outbreak in 20 years.
RNZ has put questions to Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters who has declined an interview today.
