A British scientist, who had to have both legs, an arm and several fingers on her remaining hand amputated after she contracted meningococcal disease, plans to sue a New Zealand laboratory where she was working at the time.
Jeannette Adu-Bobie, 32, and her family believe she was infected during her work with meningococcal bacteria at an Environmental Science and Research (ESR) lab in Porirua, north of Wellington, in March last year.
A close family member of Dr Adu-Bobie told The Dominion Post newspaper that she would take legal action on the basis of tests by an overseas laboratory, which showed the disease strain that caused her infection was "indistinguishable" from the one she was working with.
At the time, ESR chief executive John Hay said laboratory staff were not in any danger if they followed standard operating procedures, and it was "a tragic coincidence".
The relative said the family felt vindicated by the latest test result, which they believed proved Dr Adu-Bobie was infected in the lab.
"If we had not insisted and disbelieved the first results then no other study would have been carried out and ESR would have stuck with the story of four differences between the strains and this is what they wanted the New Zealand public to believe," he told the newspaper.
Speaking in July, the scientist's mother, Gemma Adu-Bobie, who works for the United Nations in South Africa, queried why her daughter's colleagues were vaccinated after she left, if ESR really believed there was no problem.
A New Zealand lawyer was working on her case, and would be pursuing compensation and payment of $331,000 in costs for her care owed to two Wellington hospitals, the paper reported.
In a statement, ESR said the two samples were not distinguishable by laboratory typing.
However, three investigations had concluded that the procedures in the lab reflected safe-practice requirements.
An ESR spokeswoman said the institute was unaware of any potential legal action.
- NZPA
Scientist who lost limbs to meningococcal disease to sue lab
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