NZ: 2010 Whooping cough cases

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/kaikoura/3843274/Whooping-cough-is-under-control

Whooping cough in Kaikoura has reached "epidemic" proportions, but it is hoped the outbreak is now under control.

Kaikoura Medical Centre practice manager Wendy Campbell said there had been no new cases reported in the last two weeks.

The outbreak of whooping cough in Kaikoura started at the beginning of April and 15 cases have been confirmed by the Kaikoura Medical Centre.

One of the reported cases has been in the under one-year-old age group which is the most at risk group as whooping cough is potentially deadly.

Doctor for the Kaikoura Medical Centre, Andrea Judd, said "these kind of epidemics are more likely to happen when parents choose not to immunise their children and may become more likely in the future."

Early childhood centres and schools are being praised by Dr Judd for their awareness of the issue, and for working to curtail the outbreak.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: NZ: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Source: http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/whooping-cough-epidemic-level-3795939

Whooping cough at epidemic level
Published: 10:51PM Wednesday September 22, 2010
Source: NZPA

Health officials say that numbers of notified cases of whooping cough have now hit epidemic levels in New Zealand.

Ministry of Health spokesperson Dr Alison Roberts said numbers have been on the rise since June this year.

"The numbers really spiked up in August, we have been expecting an epidemic around now. New Zealand has a whooping cough epidemic every four to five years, and the last one started in 1999," she said...

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: NZ: 2010 Whooping cough cases

Media Releases
24 September 2010

Media reports on Whooping Cough ?six years out of date?

The following comments may be attributed to: David Wansbrough, Manager Immunisation, Ministry of Health

Recent media stories about whooping cough (pertussis) were mistakenly based on information which is significantly out-of-date.

The media stories appear to be based on a six-year old Ministry of Health press statement, which can be seen here: http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/pagesmh/3433?Open.

These stories include numerous verbatim quotes from that 2004 media release, and also cite old data as if they were current.

The stories say the number of whooping cough cases ?spiked in August? with ?more than 350? reported cases - which was in fact correct for August 2004. In August 2010 there were 79 reported cases in New Zealand, down from 110 in August 2009.

The cumulative number of cases reported to the end of August 2010 was 621 ? nearly 250 fewer cases than were reported in the equivalent period last year.

Immunisation for whooping cough is free for children.

(ends)


For further information, please Contact: Media advisor Michael Tull - (021) 220 6130

http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/media-reports-on-whooping-cough-six-years-out-of-date?Open