‘Scared’ parents fill clinics
Mum shocked to be told of dental health risk on social media
Hundreds of “scared” parents first learned their children were at risk of hepatitis B and C and HIV via social media.
It’s understood about 2500 children seen at the Pukekohe Intermediate Child and Adolescent Community Dental Clinic between September 13 and January 23 may have been exposed after being treated using contaminated dental equipment.
By early yesterday afternoon about 222 concerned parents had called Healthline for advice, while 145 children had been seen at several South Auckland clinics, according to Counties Manukau Health.
The Counties Manukau District Health Board blames malfunctioning dental equipment for exposing children to unsterilised water, possibly containing blood or saliva.
Parents were upset to learn of the health scare via social media.
Outside the clinic yesterday, Pukekohe mum Maro Hiku told the Herald she was “scared” for the health of her 6-year-old daughter Remedy.
Hiku learned of the exposure on Facebook the night before, and was “shocked” she did not receive a phone call from a health professional.
Jordan Sherwin, who took her 6-year-old son Dayton to get tested yesterday, said on Facebook parents had arrived in droves by midmorning seeking urgent screening.
“Queues are out the door at the dental clinic at Pukekohe Intermediate with parents checking if they need to bring their child in for screening,” she said. “There’s mothers crying in the hallway while their kids are crying getting their bloods taken.”
Sherwin said she was furious her son had been put at risk.
“How could this go unnoticed for four months? Absolutely disgusted with Waitemata DHB and ARDS [Auckland Regional Dental Service]!”
A Counties Manukau Health spokeswoman told the Herald the delay in notifying parents was to provide time to organise logistics.
She added there was no increased health risk to the children by delaying.
“We wanted to get . . . health nurses in place, the logistics in place and provide the correct advice to people.
“I know a lot of people got the info via Facebook, which is regrettable. We really apologise to those parents who did . . . but with media inquiries we had to go public.”
She said engineers were working to get “to the bottom of this”.
Counties Manukau Health said two specialist blood-testing clinics were opened in Pukekohe in response to the public health notice, while a separate Pukekohe clinic had also provided an additional 35 hepatitis B boosters by lunchtime yesterday.
The specialist clinics will operate 12 hours a day, every day, with the first test results available in two days.
National clinical director for oral health Riana Clarke said all Auckland dental clinics operated by ARDS had been examined, with no issues found.
The Counties Manukau Health chief medical officer, Dr Gloria Johnson, said the risk of infection continues to be assessed as “low” by specialist infection control clinicians.
The Counties Manukau call centre also had public health nurses making calls to the parents of children who attended the dental clinic, she said.
Parents who remain concerned are encouraged to ring Healthline on 0800 611 166 or talk to their GP.