Minister fumes over handling of typhoid cases

"I certainly don't expect to find out about things on the TV news, that's for sure." Health Minister Jonathan Coleman

Public health officials have been ‘‘taken to task’’ by Health Minister Jonathan Coleman for woeful communication following a fatal typhoid outbreak in Auckland.

Coleman did not hold back when asked for his views on how they had handled the situation.

‘‘They could probably do with a bit of media training to be honest,’’ he said yesterday.

The number of cases of typhoid has risen to 16, with 12 people still in hospital and another two probable cases awaiting test results.

Adding to Coleman’s anger was the fact that health officials failed to tell him about the outbreak and he found out from watching TV news on Friday, three days after a woman died from the disease.

‘‘I’m very, very unhappy about that aspect of it,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve had a very direct conversation with officials about that.

‘‘I certainly don’t expect to find out about things on the TV news, that’s for sure.’’

Coleman said he had since received a number of apologies.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) clinical director Dr Julia Peters said on Tuesday the health authority delayed announcing the death at the family’s wishes until after her funeral.

Repeated requests were made to ARPHS yesterday for a response to public criticisms.

The service suggested a representative would be available around lunchtime.

That did not happen, and after 3pm it finally released a short written statement confirming an extra case of typhoid.

The lack of communication follows a pattern that has made it difficult for media to establish the extent of the typhoid outbreak, and whether there is any ongoing risk.

The woman, from Auckland’s Mt Roskill, died in Auckland City Hospital last Tuesday and had attended a close-knit Samoan Assemblies of God church in the Mt Albert area.

The group met in the school hall at Wesley Primary School, which moved to reassure parents of students on Wednesday.

Wesley Primary School Principal Brenda Martin said: ‘‘I must emphasise the advice from ARPHS that there is almost no risk that this has spread any further and school will be open as usual tomorrow.

Martin said ARPHS had previously assured the school the woman who died was from a different religious group, but that information turned out to be incorrect.

It took ARPHS three days to publicly announce the outbreak, and a further three days before it confirmed someone had died.

Members of the woman’s church were unaware she had an infectious disease, and hugged and kissed her as she was dying.

More than a dozen others have since been confirmed with typhoid.

A fellow church member said she rushed to hospital when she heard her friend was dying.

‘‘There was no protective gear, no signs to say that she was affected, or that she may have typhoid fever.

‘‘There was nothing to say we were not allowed to touch, or have any body contact with her.

‘‘The first we knew that she died of typhoid was from media coverage, and this really really upset the church.’’

The friend said two of the victim’s children were admitted to hospital around the time their mother passed away.

‘‘They’ve been treated and now they’ve been released, and they’re on medication,’’ she said.

Typhoid spread through the church as various other members were then infected with the disease. They were unaware why they and their friends were becoming ill until they were taken to hospital.

‘‘The authorities did not inform the church that they have done testing and found that these individuals were confirmed as having typhoid fever,’’ the friend said.

ARPHS public health physician Dr William Rainger, who is now working with the church community, said casual social contact such as hugging and kissing did not pose significant risk for transmitting the disease.

He added it was unlikely that additional cases were as a result of hospital visits to the woman who died.