Welcome to Friday’s District Health Board update
There was encouraging news from Hawke’s Bay District Health Board’s CEO Dr Kevin Snee at Friday’s media conference that the number of people needing medical care was continuing to decline. Dr Snee said along with the need for ongoing awareness of gastro related health issues there was a continued message of vigilance in preventing secondary infections.
At the same conference where the Hastings District Council shared its news that the water tanker, at the centre of yesterday’s alert, had re-tested clear (indicating a false positive on Thursday), Dr Snee provided the following health figures:
- As of today’s briefing the district health board had 106 confirmed notifications and 334 probable making a total of 440.
- Hospitalisations to Hawke’s Bay Hospital are currently sitting at 15 in general wards and there are now two patients in Intensive Care, following a new admission to the unit overnight with a patient who has other underlying medical conditions as well as a gastro illness, making a total of 17 in hospital.
- The numbers continue to move downwards with no presentations to ED overnight, GPs saw 89 patients yesterday, St John had three calls overnight. Aged residential care reported today that their numbers were also decreasing.
Dr Kevin Snee told the morning media conference that the Coroner had opened an investigation into the death of a Hawke’s Bay woman and will determine as far as possible whether campylobacter infection contributed to her death. Tests last night confirmed the woman had contracted campylobacter, however the post-mortem revealed she also had other significant underlying health issues. Dr Snee stressed that the Coroner said on the information available to date it is unclear what effect, if any, the campylobacter infection had on this woman’s death. This will be the focus of the Coroner’s enquiry. The Coronial Media Statement can be viewed in full below.
Joined by Dr David Sinclair, Medical Officer of Health (Auckland) Dr Snee also provided media with a graph showing the onset of gastro illness in the Havelock North community, which has been plotted from the data received from the random household survey being carried out in Havelock North for the district health board. This information is available for everyone on www.ourhealthhb.nz.
Dr Sinclair highlighted the fact that the curve was showing what they expected as far as a campylobacter outbreak was concerned, and the number of people sick was reducing.
Infectious Disease specialist Dr Andrew Burns then joined Dr Snee to reference two illnesses which can be associated with campylobacter. Dr Burns said Reactive Arthritis was one and while it was painful and affected more than one joint it would usually respond well to anti-inflammatories and treatment from a GP. The other, which is rare, is Guillain-Barré syndrome. Guillain-Barré syndrome is a neurological condition and hospital specialists are all trained and well equipped to treat this illness should it arise. Most people would recover from this and Reactive Arthritis in time, he said. Dr Snee said the main message was if people weren’t getting better or were feeling worse they needed to see their doctor or call Healthline 0800 611 116.
GENERAL HEALTH ADVICE
GPs have also asked us to remind the public that diarrhoea increases the risk of the contraceptive pill failing. Women need to take extra contraception to prevent getting pregnant if they have diarrhoea.
The boil water notice remains in place for Havelock North only.
Coroner’s office Media statement – 19 August 2016 Tena koutou
Coroner Peter Ryan has opened an investigation into the death of a Hawke’s Bay woman and will ascertain, as far as possible, whether a campylobacter infection contributed to her death.
Test results last night confirmed an 89-year-old woman, who died at Havelock North on 13 August, had contracted campylobacter. A post-mortem examination revealed she also had other significant underlying health issues.
Further pathology testing is being carried out to determine the specific cause of death, and what particular strain of campylobacter had been contracted.
Coroner Ryan stresses that, on the information available to date, it is unclear what effect, if any, the campylobacter infection had on this woman's death. This will be a focus of his coronial investigation.
Coroner Ryan has been asked by Dr Nick Jones, Hawke's Bay Medical Officer of Health, to make the above information public to assure there is transparent reporting of any death associated, in any way, with the campylobacter outbreak.
