Awanui Labs is reminding referrers across Aotearoa not to send patients to our collection centres when they are showing symptoms consistent with measles infection (fever, rash, with cough / coryza / conjunctivitis). This is in line with Health New Zealand/Te Whatu Ora public health recommendations or your local HealthPathways. We have taken this step for patient safety, as measles is a highly contagious disease, with potentially serious outcomes for adults and children.

Any patient presenting with measles-like symptoms should be notified immediately to your local public health service (do not wait for test results).

Awanui Labs collections staff will not perform nasopharyngeal swabs, and any blood test requests will not be carried out on patients with suspected measles.

Additional information is available on the Health New Zealand website.

We thank you very much for your cooperation.