Scrapes and bruises for ACC

More than 2000 New Zealanders have received ACC after they were scratched by cats in the past three years.

Another 299 people received taxpayer-funded treatment after run-ins with sharp plants.

We have even paid more than 3000 people who received splinters in their hands - without getting an infection.

Welcome to some of the more bizarre reasons for ACC claims.

Figures released to the Herald on Sunday by the Government agency show that cat scratches have led to 2148 ACC claims, totalling $352,530, between mid-2005 and mid-2008. Of these, 641 claims were still active as at June 2008, the latest available figures.

"Those figures do sound a bit alarming," said Chris Seymour from Catsablanca Boarding Cattery on Auckland's North Shore.

He said he dealt with an average 10,000 cats a year and had never had any injuries that needed medical attention.

ACC classifies cat bites separately from cat scratches - 4729 New Zealanders have claimed for cat bites in the same three-year period, with 1619 of these claims active at June 2008. Total cost: more than $600,000.

ACC spokeswoman Stephanie Julian said a claim could be ongoing for a number of reasons. "For example, somebody may have got a cat scratch that got infected, then caused another condition like a skin condition that needs treatment which costs money for medication."

The worst pets seem to be dogs - 17,359 people have received ACC payouts after they were bitten by canines in the three years, at a total cost of almost $3.5 million.

ACC covers anything that comes under its definition of "injury", including wounds, burns, strains, sprains, fractures, choking and poisoning.

Black eyes cost just over $1.5 million last year, more than double the 2005/06 figure of $609,234.

Julian didn't know the reason for this increase, but said it didn't necessarily mean black eyes were on the rise. People might just be becoming more aware that they could claim for their injury, she said.

Potential complications from what could appear a simple black eye were many, said Dr Jonathon Fox, head of the Royal New Zealand College of GPs. "What is initially coded as a black eye could end up being a broken eye socket or there could be an injury to the eye or the retina itself," he said.

Contact with a sharp plant was responsible for $20,727 in ACC payouts last year.

Fox wasn't surprised. "Gashes from plants can get infected and if it's an elderly person, it can be very slow to heal and can turn into an ulcer."

And while cats and dogs can have a sting in their bites, so can humans. There were 101 active claims for human bites last year, costing just under $25,000 in ACC claims.