Meningitis victim out of hospital

By MONIQUE DEVEREUX

A Matamata woman is recovering at home after surviving amoebic meningitis, a rare disease that is almost always fatal.

Mary van Huysen contracted meningitis last month. She was admitted to Waikato Hospital in a critical condition.

The deadly strain of the disease has claimed the lives of 10 New Zealanders in the past 32 years, the most recent that of Cambridge 10-year-old Rose Bielski-Brown, in May.



Ms van Huysen was unable to talk to the Herald because of contractual obligations to a women's magazine and a television programme.

But other residents said the family hoped she was on the way to a full recovery.

Ms van Huysen, a teacher, has four children.

Amoebic meningitis is usually contracted from hot pools, as the soil around geothermal waters is the amoeba's natural habitat.

Because of the amoeba's constant presence it is important that swimmers do not submerge their heads.

If the bug enters the body through the nose it travels quickly to the brain, where it can cause irreparable damage.

But the amoeba can also be found in concrete swimming pools if they are not cleaned regularly or adequately or if contaminated water seeps into the pool.

After Ms van Huysen's diagnosis, the Matamata Sports Centre and the Opal Hot Pools closed for tests. Although the results were negative, the Waikato medical officer of health, Dell Hood, said that did not mean the amoeba was not present.

It may just not have been in the water that was sampled.