Health staff move to stop disease

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 446, 28 July 1992, Page 1

Health staff move to stop disease

The two-year-old child at the centre of the health scare in Waiouru is now on the road to recovery at Wanganui Hospital. Last week she was diagnosed as having epiglottitis, a serious disease caused by the haemophilus influenzae bacteria. Epiglottitis is a disease which causes swelling of the entrance to the airway at the back of the throat. The patient has difficulty in breathing and if untreated, death can occur within four to six hours of the first symptoms. Thankfully the bacteria is rare and not very contagious. Medical textbooks suggest 25hours of contact a week are necessary before the bacteria is likely to be passed on. Staff at the Waiouru Care Centre contacted all parents of children who attended on Monday 20 July when the stricken

child was also present. Antibiotics were sent to Waiouru and are on hand if any more cases are diagnosed. While reassuring parents Dr Greig Russell, general practitioner for Waiouru, was also taking all possible precautions. "We are on the lookout for an obviously unwell child with noisy breathing" Dr Russell said. Parents are urged to contact their doctor immediately if they are concerned. Haemophilus influenzae also can cause meningitis. Symptoms are high temperature, stiff or sore neck, headache and a tendency to avoid light. Both diseases are rare. Precautions are being aimed at the young children in the daycare centre because they are more likely to contract the disease and less able to tell an adult about their symptoms.