Havelock North’s water infection inquiry starts this week

Serious neurological illness may be linked

An independent inquiry into the contamination of Havelock North’s water supply will begin its work this week, the Government announced yesterday.

Attorney-general Chris Finlayson has also revealed the members of the inquiry, who have to report back with their findings by March next year.

Last month, the Government announced an inquiry into the campylobacter outbreak, which has affected thousands of residents and been linked to the deaths of two elderly people.

Finlayson said the inquiry would be chaired by retired Court of Appeal judge Lyn Stevens QC.

The other inquiry members are former New Zealand Qualifications Authority chief executive Karen Poutasi and Wellington City Council chief engineer Anthony Wilson.

‘‘The members of the inquiry panel have the extensive legal, public health, local government and water management expertise required to conduct an inquiry of this nature,’’ Finlayson said.

The inquiry would start this week, but had until March 31 next year to report back.

It would focus on how the Havelock North water supply became contaminated and how it was dealt with, how local and central government agencies responded to the public health outbreak, and how to reduce the risk of a similar outbreak happening in future.

The inquiry’s members would hold a sitting in Hawke’s Bay ‘‘in the coming weeks’’, Finlayson said.

The latest outbreak made 5200 people sick and hospitalised 22. Two elderly women who died were found to have contracted campylobacter, but both had other health issues.

An investigation is under way to find how the bug made its way into the water. Evidence to date indicates it came from sheep or cattle and may have originated from near the bores.

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is carrying out its own investigation.

In August, Prime Minister John Key said the inquiry had broad terms of reference, and the Government would consider any wide recommendations made. A Havelock North woman has been admitted to Hawke’s Bay Hospital with the serious neurological condition Guillain-barre Syndrome, possibly linked to the campylobacter outbreak.

The woman, in her forties, was admitted on Friday. A hospital spokeswoman said she was in a stable condition and was ‘‘progressing well with the treatment she has received’’.

Hawke’s Bay Hospital physician Andrew Burns said the patient had symptoms during the Havelock North campylobacter outbreak in August. Burns said other residents of the township who experienced pins and needles, weakness or clumsiness of hands or feet should seek medical help quickly.

‘‘Early treatment of this condition can impact on the severity, so early diagnosis is important,’’ he said.

Guillain-barre Syndrome, or GBS, sees the body’s immune system attack nerves that control movement and feeling.

It develops one to two weeks after a campylobacter infection.

GBS is an auto-immune disease and is an abnormal response to infection. It can be triggered by various illnesses, including influenza, but campylobacter is the most common cause in New Zealand.

Professor Michael Baker, of the department of public health at Otago University, said the risk of progression from campylobacter to GBS was about one in 1700 in New Zealand.

‘‘It’s still uncommon. There are about 100 cases of GBS a year in New Zealand and 30 of them are related to campylobacter.’’