Deaths linked to deadly disease

An Army recruit is dead and another is critically ill after a suspected outbreak of meningococcal disease at Waiouru Military Camp.

The basic-training recruits were both aged 18 and were part of an intake of 174 who started at the camp in April.

In a separate case, a 25-year-old Wellington woman, Nileema Sharan, has also died of suspected meningococcal disease and her flatmate is in hospital being treated for the condition.

Ms Sharan had waited more than three hours at Wellington Hospital, vomiting, then was taken to a medical centre, where the doctor treated her for a strained neck and sent her home.

She was found dead in her bed the next day.

The deaths will be the first from meningococcal disease in NZ this year if the cause is confirmed.

Last night, Wanganui medical officer of health Patrick O'Connor travelled to the Army camp to assess the situation and administer antibiotics to all the recruits.

Fourteen of the recruits' closest contacts had already received shots, he said, but it was now considered prudent to give antibiotics to the entire intake.

The first recruit to become sick reported to the camp's military hospital on Monday night. He died there.

Dr O'Connor said he was amazed at the speed of the disease.

The recruit had been admitted immediately and placed under close observation. "It appeared that between one observation at 3.45am, when he appeared to be reasonably comfortable, and another observation 15 minutes later the young man had died," said Dr O'Connor. "His deterioration was very rapid indeed."

The second youth was transferred to Palmerston North Hospital on Thursday morning, early on in his illness, but he also suffered a rapid deterioration, Dr O'Connor said.

The recruit remained in a critical condition last night.

All recruits were vaccinated against meningococcal strains A and C on arrival at the camp, so doctors were reasonably confident that strain B was responsible for the outbreak. No vaccine is available against this strain.

Strain B is responsible for about 90 per cent of cases in New Zealand.

New Zealand is in the throes of a group B meningococcal epidemic.

Since 1991, 4902 people have been infected and 201 have died.

This year 144 cases have been reported with no deaths until this week, compared with 128 cases and four deaths this time last year.

Ms Sharan, a receptionist at the InterContinental Hotel, strained her neck when reaching to her left on Wednesday. She later began shaking uncontrollably and was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

A friend who arrived two hours later, Deke Tuari, said she was lying in a bed in the emergency department waiting room "spewing". Her neck and chest were very sore and she had developed a temperature.

After 3 1/2 hours they were told a doctor would not be able to see her for another hour or two.

Her employer arranged for her to be shifted to the nearby Accident and Urgent Medical Centre.

Mr Tuari said a doctor gave injections and she was told she had strained her neck. She had a brace put on and was sent home.

- NZPA