9. Question No. 9—HealthHon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of HealthQuestion No. 9—Health9. Hon MICHAEL WOODHOUSE (National) to the Minister of Health: What steps has he taken to ensure sufficient doses of the measles vaccinations are available?Hon Dr DAVID CLARK (Minister of Health): Measles is highly contagious and the outbreak in Canterbury has developed swiftly in recent days. Over the weekend I contacted the chair of the Canterbury District Health Board (DHB) seeking assurance that the DHB had a plan in place to deal with the outbreak. Following that call I spoke again with the chair as well as the DHB chief executive. I then contacted the Director-General of Health and the chair of Pharmac to ensure a coordinated response to this outbreak. As I told the House in answer to question No. 4 I'm advised that 18000 doses of vaccine are on their way to Canterbury and will be available for use from tomorrow. Hon Michael Woodhouse: If 18000 vaccinations are on their way how long will the other 82000 Cantabrians who need a vaccine or vaccine boost have to wait? Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Vaccinations are dependent upon a cold chain process—which the member will I'm sure well understand—and the integrity of that process is critical. There are examples of course under previous Governments where that fell down. But I'm assured that the vaccinations will continue to arrive in sufficient numbers that there will be more vaccinations waiting than are able to be delivered through the emergency clinics.Hon Michael Woodhouse: As at 31 December 2018 what percentage of 8-month-olds were fully immunised against measles and is that a higher or lower percentage than when he became Minister? Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Sorry I think the member said 1 December 2018—I have the chart in front of me conveniently. The broader immunisation target that the member has often referred to and I'm not sure whether that's the one he wants to—Hon Michael Woodhouse: I didn't in my question. Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: He wants the specific answer on measles. I don't have that specific number in front of me. I'm sure that if the member puts it down I'm happy to find an answer for him. Hon Michael Woodhouse: Well can the Minister confirm that under the previous National Government immunisation rates went from under 80 percent for measles to 94 percent and that the Ministry of Health announced in October 2017 that measles and rubella was officially eliminated in New Zealand"? SPEAKER: And the Minister has no responsibility for that. Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: Mr Speaker I'd like to answer that. Mr Speaker? SPEAKER: No. I've said the Minister has no responsibility. Hon Michael Woodhouse: Does he believe that this outbreak could have been prevented if 19 out of the 20 district health boards hadn't failed to meet their immunisation targets on his watch? Hon Dr DAVID CLARK: What I would like to say about the immunisation targets firstly is that I'm a bit surprised the member is wanting to play politics at this time when my chief concern is making sure that people get the vaccinations they need. But the second thing I would say is that since the current immunisation target was introduced in 2012 by the previous Government it has never been met at 95 percent; it has hovered stubbornly in the early 90s. It ticked up in the last quarter but as a country we do need to do better in terms of immunisation. Those targets are available still on the ministry's website for anybody who cares to pick them up but if the member is somehow trying to suggest that there is any link between the decision to stop publishing the previous Government's narrow health targets in the newspaper and the current measles outbreak in Canterbury I reject that utterly."