Canty student thought she had flu before she died

When 19-year-old student Miwa Chapman suddenly became unwell and started vomiting, her flatmates cared for her at home thinking she might have food poisoning. She died the next day.

The sudden death of Miwako Akakura Chapman, known as Miwa, on February 24 sent shock waves through the student community.

Chapman, from Auckland, lived in private accommodation in Christchurch while she was an undergraduate engineering student at University of Canterbury. The day before she became ill, she attended a music festival with friends.

In a report finalised last month, coroner David Robinson said Chapman consumed alcohol before attending the festival, but was ‘‘not considered to be overly intoxicated’’. The next morning, her flatmates noticed she was vomiting and appeared to have a fever.

Chapman and her friends brushed off the symptoms as the aftermath of her having had alcohol the previous day. Chapman also considered she might have the flu, while her flatmates thought she might be suffering from food poisoning.

Chapman was feeling better by midday and had something to eat, but started vomiting again about 11pm. Her flatmates noted she appeared weak and struggled to walk. Chapman said she was content to wait until the next morning to go see a doctor.

Her flatmates cared for her through the early hours of the morning on February 24. By 7am, they found she was not breathing and called an ambulance.

Emergency personnel found she had suffered a cardiac arrest, and she was rushed to hospital where she later died.

An autopsy confirmed Chapman had died of overwhelming sepsis caused by meningococcal disease. The coroner said an inquiry into Chapman’s death would not be opened as he was satisfied it was due to natural causes and there were no circumstances that made an inquiry necessary or desirable.

Chapman’s parents declined to comment on the decision.

Meningococcal disease is a bacterial infection that causes two very serious illnesses: meningitis, an infection of the membranes covering the brain, and septicaemia, or blood poisoning.

According to the Ministry of Health website, meningococcal disease can be difficult to diagnose because it can look like other illnesses, such as the flu. Symptoms of meningitis can develop suddenly and include a high fever, headache, sleepiness, joint and muscle pains, vomiting, a stiff neck and dislike of bright lights.