The country's drug buying agency has confirmed a global shortage of measles vaccine, forcing authorities to restrict supplies. About 32,500 doses of MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine have been sent to Canterbury in the past week. New Zealand usually uses about 12,000 doses of the MMR vaccine per month – 145,000 doses per year, Williams said. "[Pharmac was] continuing to work with suppliers locally and internationally to get sufficient volumes of the MMR vaccine for everyone who needs it." "There's a global shortage of MMR vaccine and there are epidemics of measles in some areas, so we have to use what we have carefully."

Source: Stuff March 14, 2019 00:34 UTC