Typhoid outbreak puts 10 in hospital

Ten people have been taken to hospital with typhoid in Auckland.

The Auckland Regional Public Health Service confirmed the outbreak yesterday and said it was tracing people who had been in contact with those diagnosed with the disease and was “following usual protocols” to stop it spreading.

Medical Officer of Health Dr David Sinclair said it was not clear how the outbreak started.

“We’ve got some clues but other things we haven’t sorted out yet, so that will take a little while.” The disease is potentially fatal. “But that's uncommon now with antibiotic treatment,” Sinclair said. “It can spread quickly and it can be quite a serious illness.”

Good hand- washing was the best protection against typhoid, which is mainly spread through water and food but can also spread person to person.

Shellfish from sewagecontaminated beds have caused outbreaks in New Zealand in the past, the Ministry of Health website states.

Flies can also spread the bacteria to food, but most large epidemics are caused by faeces contaminating water supplies.

Twenty to 30 people are diagnosed with typhoid every year in New Zealand, so to have an outbreak of 10 infections in such a short period was a concern, Sinclair said.

“The last significant outbreak in Auckland was in 2013.”

He told the Weekend Herald the first patient was admitted to hospital at the end of last week. Doctors realised there was an outbreak when nine others were hospitalised this week.

The patients were locals rather than tourists, Sinclair said. He was unable to confirm their condition. He advised anyone feeling very ill to see their doctor or an after- hours clinic.

The Ministry of Health website says symptoms usually appear eight to 14 days after people are infected.