Same bug strain in sick children

By TONY GEE

Laboratory tests for Northland Health have shown that two out of the three Whangarei children involved in an outbreak of meningococcal disease in September were infected with the same meningococcal B epidemic strain.

"This is the strain of meningococcal bug that has been causing all the problems in New Zealand since 1991," Northland Medical Officer of Health Dr Jonathan Jarman said yesterday.

Results for the third child are not yet available.

Meningococcal B can cause both potentially fatal meningococcal septicaemia (blood poisoning) and meningitis (infection of brain membrane) conditions.

The five-year-old girl and a boy and girl, 4, were admitted to Whangarei Hospital last month in what Dr Jarman described as an "unusual cluster outbreak".

All three were at Kensington Child Care and had become ill at almost the same time during a weekend.

Public health unit staff offered antibiotics to 51 other children and seven staff who spent time at the pre-school during days immediately before the three children became ill.

All three were treated in hospital and discharged.

Vaccinations due to start in Northland on November 22 for children aged between six months and five years will protect against this strain of the disease.

Dr Jarman said children getting the three injections of meningococcal B vaccine, at intervals of six weeks for each injection, will get "a good level of protection".

About 80 per cent of cases of the disease in New Zealand have the same epidemic strain.

Dr Jarman also said it was not possible to bring the start date of vaccinations forward in Northland, partly because the vaccine was not going to be available in the region until a few days before the campaign starts.

School-age children throughout Northland are scheduled to start vaccinations at their schools in May.