Meningococcal victim critical

A man battling meningococcal disease in a critical condition in Wellington Hospital is the latest victim in a string of cases to strike the region.

The case is the fifth of meningococcal disease from Wellington to the Kapiti Coast in 10 days. Public health officials are calling for people to be on the lookout for the potentially deadly disease.

The Wellington man was admitted to hospital on Saturday with meningococcal septicaemia and was still in a critical condition last night.

Medical officer of health Annette Nesdale said four people had come down with the disease in the past 10 days, including a young child, a 19-year-old and two adults. Two were from Wellington, one from the Kapiti Coast and one from Porirua.

A four-year-old Otaki boy was last week taken to Palmerston North Hospital with suspected meningococcal septicaemia. The cases did not appear linked, Dr Nesdale said. She urged the public not to become complacent as the end of winter approached. "Although the weather is improving, there are a lot of winter illnesses around. People can get very sick very quickly."

There had been a late peak of influenza, which could be a factor and also mask the disease, she said. Meningococcal disease often began with flu-like symptoms, but progressed much more rapidly.

Anyone with suspected flu should be regularly monitored to check their condition did not deteriorate, Dr Nesdale said.

Wellington's public health team followed up 48 close contacts of the victims and gave them antibiotics to prevent the spread of the disease.

There have been 21 cases so far this year, compared with 29 last year.

Meanwhile health officials are worried a new meningitis virus strain has emerged after a rare outbreak of the disease in Whangarei.

Northland Health is testing samples taken from three children from the Kensington Childcare Centre who contracted meningococcal septicemia last week.


- NZPA