Killer bug on rise among Northlanders

11.45am

Northland health protection officers are on the lookout for a highly infectious stomach bug that can have life-threatening complications in children.

There have been six reported cases of Verocytotoxin-producing E coli (Vtec) in Northland so far this year -- more cases than the previous eight years combined.

Four of the six cases occurred in May sparking fears of an outbreak, Northland medical officer of health Jonathan Jarman said today.

While cases of the disease had since tapered it off, health officials feared it was only a matter of time before more cases of the "nasty" disease surfaced.

Many of the risk factors for the disease -- contact with farm animals, drinking unpasteurised milk products, untreated water supplies and people swimming in contaminated rivers -- were common in Northland, Dr Jarman said.

"I think it (the cluster of cases in May) was an omen. It is only a matter of time before we start to see more cases here," he said.

Vtec bacteria are carried in the intestines of healthy cattle and other animals. They are highly infectious, particularly to young children.

Children on farms with cattle are deemed to be at high risk of catching the disease and 40 per cent of those infected end up in hospital.

One in 10 people with Vtec goes on to develop the life threatening illness Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS).

In HUS, blood cells are damaged and the kidneys stop working properly.

The syndrome is most common in children under the age of five, and the elderly.

On two occasion in recent years, Northland children with Vtec have had to be taken Auckland for renal dialysis after developing HUS, Dr Jarman said.

"It's one infectious disease we're keeping a close eye on. It's one of the ones we'd follow up straight away. We'd follow it up over a weekend because it has the potential for outbreak."

Vtec had been causing major problems in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, Dr Jarman said.

Prevention tips include thorough hand washing before food preparation and after contact with animals and animal faeces, avoiding undercooked meat and only drinking pasteurised milk.

Signs and symptoms of the illness include:

* Symptoms usually appear 3-4 days after becoming infected.

* Illness usually begins with diarrhoea and severe stomach pains.

* Faeces may contain blood.

* The illness usually gets worse after 10 days.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)