Now it’s whooping cough shots
Hot on the heels of the meningococcal disease vaccination campaign, the Northland District Health Board is urging vaccination against whooping cough, after 36 confirmed or probable cases in the region so far this year.
Forty-eight cases reported last year.
Those most at risk are infants under 12 months of age, who Medical Officer of Health Dr Jose Ortega Benito said were five times more likely to be hospitalised than those who had been vaccinated.
Dr Benito said the best protection for infants is for their mothers to be vaccinated during pregnancy, followed by immunisation shots for the infant at six weeks, three months and five
were months, with booster vaccines at four years and 11 years.
“There is not an identifiable outbreak in Northland, but a national one that also affects our region, although to lesser extents and clearly decreasing in numbers,” he said.
“People should see their GP if they develop symptoms to check on the appropriate immunisation vaccines and to have themselves vaccinated.”
Respiratory diseases like whooping cough were prevalent in winter when temperatures are low and humidity is high, houses could be damp and cold, the immune system “goes down.”
There was no treatment for whooping cough, although antibiotics could be prescribed during the early stages to reduce its spread.
Whooping cough was an infectious disease that could lead to serious complications, including choking, breathing difficulties, pneumonia and seizures. It was easily spread by coughing and sneezing. Five divers had to be rescued on Monday after their boat struck mechanical problems and drifted almost 4km.
Sergeant Jim Adamson, from Northland Police search and rescue, said the divers had gone into the water at Taheke Rock, near the Cavalli Islands, at 10.30am.
The Coastguard Operations Centre received a call from the vessel at 11.05am, paging its sea and air volunteers and relaying the message to private boats that were in the area.
The divers were soon found about 3.7km from their entry point, in two groups, by two private boats at about 12.30pm.
Meanwhile emergency services went to the northern end of 90 Mile Beach on Saturday, in response to a report of people being swept off rocks about at 5.45pm.
A police spokeswoman said at 7pm the Rescue Coordination Centre had told police one woman had been rescued and was driving herself home.