MEASLES /MMR/15 MONTHS brought forward.

15 month immunisations now given at 12 months, please phone and make a Nurse appointment if 12 months or over. 521-5128

FLU – No more walk in flu clinics.

Influenza vaccine supply is critically low. The Ministry of Health is asking General Practices and Pharmacists (those with contract for funded programme) to closely manage their stock levels and only vaccinate those who are eligible for publicly funded vaccines.
• Pregnant women
• Children aged 4 and under with serious respiratory illnesses
• People with severe asthma, heart disease, diabetes and other serious health conditions that make them more susceptible to influenza
• Those aged 65 and over. These people can phone and make a nurse vaccination appointment.

All flu vaccinations are on hold due to national shortage.

Meadowbank General Practice have none in stock.

We will update when we get more information from the Ministry of Health. 

2019 Flu vaccinations

That time of the year again… flu vaccinations are anticipated to start on the 1^st April, as usual MGP will be running our walk-in Flu Clinic Mon-Fri between 11.30-12.00 pm. This is for the flu vaccination only – you will be seen in the order of arrival.

The influenza strains included in the 2019 vaccine are:

• A/Michigan/45/2015 (H1N1) pdm09-like virus
• A/Switzerland/8060/2017 (H3N2)-like virus
• B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus
• B/Phuket/3073/2013-like virus

Funded for:

• People over 65 years of age
• People under 65 years with eligible medical conditions
• Children under 4 years who have been hospitalised for respiratory illness or with a history of significant respiratory illness

Given all the media attention surrounding the current measles outbreak in Christchurch and some measles cases in Auckland, please read the below information before contacting the nurses as we are inundated with queries about measles.

The Ministry of Health have advised this is not an emergency and that those not immediately at risk can be vaccinated later when constraints around vaccines have lessened. Currently, there is a MMR Vaccine (Measles Mumps Rubella) campaign in Canterbury only and their first priority is to vaccinate people between 12 months to 28 years who have never received a measles or MMR vaccine.

Therefore, the current advice for practices outside of Canterbury is to maintain the National Immunisation Programme of MMR vaccination at ages 15 months and 4 years.

We will be vaccinating children when they are due for their scheduled immunisations and those who are at higher risk, this includes:

• healthcare workers (who have not had 2 times doses or have serology showing immunity)
• contacts of confirmed cases
• travelers to countries with serious outbreaks. (Currently travel to Canterbury is not considered to carry the same level of risk as travel to these countries)

If you are one of the above please contact us.

One dose of measles or MMR vaccine protects 95% of vaccinated people.
So please check your child health records if you have had at least one dose then you are likely to be protected and could have a 2nd dose later this year.

If you have never been vaccinated with measles or MMR, then we will provide the first dose if stocks are available, please contact reception who will then run this past the nurses.

Non-VLCA practice – information sheet

Given the recent media coverage about meningococcal disease, the current recommendations are that parents, caregivers and individuals are encouraged to make their own choice of which vaccine(s) they wish purchase.

As there is no way to predict who will get meningococcal disease and, again, no way to predict which group would cause the disease, please read the following links in regards to the different groups of meningococcal disease in New Zealand and the available vaccines.

These vaccines need to be ordered in, once you have decided please call 521-5128 and advise reception on your choice. You will then be contacted once the vaccines are available on site.

http://www.immune.org.nz/sites/default/files/resources/Written%20Resources/DiseaseMeningococcalImac20180912V01Final_0.pdf

http://www.immune.org.nz/sites/default/files/resources/Written%20Resources/NonprogrammeVaccineMeningococcalImac20181109V01Final_0.pdf

Flu vaccination walk in clinics Mon-Fri 11.30am-12.00pm, free for eligible patients, $40 for non-funded patients.

Fever Management in children this winter – LINK: Fever Advice

It has been my pleasure to serve my patients for the past 27 years as your family doctor. I have had the privilege of meeting a great many people and developing friendships with lots of patients. But, now at the age of 67, it is time for me to retire.

Over the past three decades, I have watched many families in the area grow and have shared heartache and joy with hundreds of patients. I will take the memories of all that with me into my retirement. I will be retiring with many mixed emotions. There is no doubt that I shall miss many aspects of day-to-day clinical practice but the time has come to move on.

Judith and I will be moving up to Warkworth to start the next phase of our own lives.

I leave the practice in excellent hands. Many of you already know the doctors here and I am pleased to inform you that they are taking on a new Doctor – Dr Doug Winter.
Doug was educated at Burnside High School Christchurch, Canterbury University and Otago Medical School. He has been practicing medicine in Auckland for the last 2 ½ years.

With many, many thanks to all of you who have been my patients.

Dr Jonathan E M Fox
MB BS MRCS LRCP MRCGP FRNZCGP [Dist] Hon FRACGP CMInstD