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Issue

Vol 125 No 1365; 09 November 2012

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Issue Summary

SUMMARY

The epidemiology of rheumatic fever in the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne region of New Zealand: 1997–2009

Victoria Siriett, Sue Crengle, Diana Lennon, Mary Stonehouse, Geoffrey Cramp

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) causes permanent heart damage in 30% of children who get it. It is preventable and very rare in better-off young New Zealanders. Rates of ARF in young M ori are similar to those in young P keh /NZ Europeans in the 1920s. This is most likely due to crowded housing, poor access to health care and low health literacy. Streptococcal sore throats if treated will no progress to ARF.

SUMMARY

Imported malaria in Auckland, New Zealand

Anna E Camburn, R Joan H Ingram, David Holland, Kerry Read, Susan Taylor

Malaria cases diagnosed in Auckland over a one year period were seen in New Zealand born missionaries, New Zealand residents who had travelled to their home lands to visit friends and relations, new arrivals to New Zealand and refugees. No cases of malaria were diagnosed among New Zealanders who had travelled overseas as tourists. The rate of malaria in Auckland is higher than the national rate largely because of refugees with malaria.

SUMMARY

Physical activity is not play: perceptions of children and parents from deprived areas

Amy Curtis, Erica Hinckson, Tineke Water

Children and parents from South Auckland were asked to talk about factors that influence childrens participation in after school activities. Parents talked about barriers such as time, money and transport as well as the importance of community support and communication in creating safer communities and places for children to play. Children talked about friends and winning as primary motivators to participating in physical activity but this depended on whether children were overweight or healthy weight.

SUMMARY

Haemophilus influenzae type b disease in Auckland children during the Hib vaccination era: 1995–2009

Bonnie Leung, Susan Taylor, Dragana Drinkovic, Sally Roberts, Phil Carter, Emma Best

Haemophilus influenzae type b is a known cause of life-threatening disease in young children. Immunisation against this infection has been fully funded in New Zealand since 1994. This study looked at the influence of immunisation on the number and outcome of this disease in children under 15 years in the Auckland region between 1995 and 2009. There has been a marked decrease in occurrence since immunisation. However, in children who were affected, the uptake of immunisation was poor. The focus should be on improving both the coverage of children having immunisations and to have them given on time. In this way, New Zealand can become even closer to eliminating this disease in the future.

SUMMARY

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Sherpa residents of the Upper Khumbu, an isolated community in eastern Nepal

Tshering W Sherpa, Kami T Sherpa, Garry Nixon, John Heydon, Emma Heydon, Susan Dovey

This study shows that the prevalence of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is high (70.5%) among the Sherpa residents of the Upper Khumbu region of Nepal. The burden of dyspepsia, gastritis and peptic ulcer disease is high in this community and almost all cancer related deaths in the past 2 years were secondary to stomach cancer. Infection with H. pylori has been proven to be one of the major contributing factors to the above-mentioned disorders and we believe that it is the same in our case. Up until now, no testing for H. pylori is done for patients visiting Khunde Hillary Hospital (the only primary healthcare centre for the region) with the above disorders and they are either treated symptomatically or empirically. The result of this study mandates that all patients should be tested for the presence of the bacterium and treated accordingly. While it may be more expensive in the short term it will be more cost effective in the long term by providing a cure for what are otherwise chronic problems.

SUMMARY

A national estimate of the hospitalisation costs for the influenza (H1N1) pandemic in 2009

Nick Wilson, Nhung Nghiem, Alisa Higgins, Giorgi Kvizhinadze, Michael G Baker, Tony Blakely

The 2009 influenza pandemic resulted in 1122 people being admitted to New Zealand hospitals (with a laboratory confirmed diagnosis for the pandemic strain). In this study, we aimed to estimate the hospitalisation costs borne by the New Zealand Government for this pandemic. We estimated the total average cost to the hospital sector in New Zealand of NZ$ 30.5 million (95% uncertainty interval: 22.3 to 39.5 million). In an additional cost-effectiveness analysis (using a hypothetical situation relating to no hospital care), the results were suggestive that hospital care was likely to be a relatively cost-effective means of preventing death from pandemic influenza (i.e., at around NZ$155,000 per life saved from pandemic influenza). In conclusion, these high hospitalisation costs for a relatively non-severe pandemic indicate the potential value of preventive measures (e.g., vaccination) and of investing in pandemic planning and other control measures to reduce person-to-person spread.

ALL ARTICLES
SUMMARY

Robert Bohdan Mikolaj (Bob) Ravich

The epidemiology of rheumatic fever in the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne region of New Zealand: 1997–2009

Victoria Siriett, Sue Crengle, Diana Lennon, Mary Stonehouse, Geoffrey Cramp

Imported malaria in Auckland, New Zealand

Anna E Camburn, R Joan H Ingram, David Holland, Kerry Read, Susan Taylor

Celebrating 50 years of polio elimination in New Zealand: but inadequate progress in eliminating other vaccine-preventable diseases

Nick Wilson, Michael G Baker

Physical activity is not play: perceptions of children and parents from deprived areas

Amy Curtis, Erica Hinckson, Tineke Water

Shewanella algae causing lower limb soft tissue infection in New Zealand

Bonnie Leung, Richard Meech, Nicky Lau, Robert Cunliffe

WHO’s “Clean Care is Safer Care” campaign: why hasn’t New Zealand joined?

Stuart McLennan

Obituary, Dr Closs

Ptosis and diplopia as initial manifestation of Guillain-Barré syndrome

Sanjay Pandey, Manmohan Mehndiratta

Haemophilus influenzae type b disease in Auckland children during the Hib vaccination era: 1995–2009

Bonnie Leung, Susan Taylor, Dragana Drinkovic, Sally Roberts, Phil Carter, Emma Best

Medical image. Red eyes and red ears

Bipul Baibhav, Satya Kurad

The 2009 influenza pandemic: a review of the strengths and weaknesses of the health sector response in New Zealand

Nick Wilson, Jennifer A Summers, Michael G Baker

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Sherpa residents of the Upper Khumbu, an isolated community in eastern Nepal

Tshering W Sherpa, Kami T Sherpa, Garry Nixon, John Heydon, Emma Heydon, Susan Dovey

David Cranleigh Thomson Bush

Rheumatic fever: from disease targeting to child-centredness

Norman Sharpe

A national estimate of the hospitalisation costs for the influenza (H1N1) pandemic in 2009

Nick Wilson, Nhung Nghiem, Alisa Higgins, Giorgi Kvizhinadze, Michael G Baker, Tony Blakely

Worms, not germs

Christopher J Hopkins, Vinu M Abraham

SUMMARY

The epidemiology of rheumatic fever in the Tairāwhiti/Gisborne region of New Zealand: 1997–2009

Victoria Siriett, Sue Crengle, Diana Lennon, Mary Stonehouse, Geoffrey Cramp

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) causes permanent heart damage in 30% of children who get it. It is preventable and very rare in better-off young New Zealanders. Rates of ARF in young M ori are similar to those in young P keh /NZ Europeans in the 1920s. This is most likely due to crowded housing, poor access to health care and low health literacy. Streptococcal sore throats if treated will no progress to ARF.

SUMMARY

Imported malaria in Auckland, New Zealand

Anna E Camburn, R Joan H Ingram, David Holland, Kerry Read, Susan Taylor

Malaria cases diagnosed in Auckland over a one year period were seen in New Zealand born missionaries, New Zealand residents who had travelled to their home lands to visit friends and relations, new arrivals to New Zealand and refugees. No cases of malaria were diagnosed among New Zealanders who had travelled overseas as tourists. The rate of malaria in Auckland is higher than the national rate largely because of refugees with malaria.

SUMMARY

Physical activity is not play: perceptions of children and parents from deprived areas

Amy Curtis, Erica Hinckson, Tineke Water

Children and parents from South Auckland were asked to talk about factors that influence childrens participation in after school activities. Parents talked about barriers such as time, money and transport as well as the importance of community support and communication in creating safer communities and places for children to play. Children talked about friends and winning as primary motivators to participating in physical activity but this depended on whether children were overweight or healthy weight.

SUMMARY

Haemophilus influenzae type b disease in Auckland children during the Hib vaccination era: 1995–2009

Bonnie Leung, Susan Taylor, Dragana Drinkovic, Sally Roberts, Phil Carter, Emma Best

Haemophilus influenzae type b is a known cause of life-threatening disease in young children. Immunisation against this infection has been fully funded in New Zealand since 1994. This study looked at the influence of immunisation on the number and outcome of this disease in children under 15 years in the Auckland region between 1995 and 2009. There has been a marked decrease in occurrence since immunisation. However, in children who were affected, the uptake of immunisation was poor. The focus should be on improving both the coverage of children having immunisations and to have them given on time. In this way, New Zealand can become even closer to eliminating this disease in the future.

SUMMARY

The prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Sherpa residents of the Upper Khumbu, an isolated community in eastern Nepal

Tshering W Sherpa, Kami T Sherpa, Garry Nixon, John Heydon, Emma Heydon, Susan Dovey

This study shows that the prevalence of the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is high (70.5%) among the Sherpa residents of the Upper Khumbu region of Nepal. The burden of dyspepsia, gastritis and peptic ulcer disease is high in this community and almost all cancer related deaths in the past 2 years were secondary to stomach cancer. Infection with H. pylori has been proven to be one of the major contributing factors to the above-mentioned disorders and we believe that it is the same in our case. Up until now, no testing for H. pylori is done for patients visiting Khunde Hillary Hospital (the only primary healthcare centre for the region) with the above disorders and they are either treated symptomatically or empirically. The result of this study mandates that all patients should be tested for the presence of the bacterium and treated accordingly. While it may be more expensive in the short term it will be more cost effective in the long term by providing a cure for what are otherwise chronic problems.

SUMMARY

A national estimate of the hospitalisation costs for the influenza (H1N1) pandemic in 2009

Nick Wilson, Nhung Nghiem, Alisa Higgins, Giorgi Kvizhinadze, Michael G Baker, Tony Blakely

The 2009 influenza pandemic resulted in 1122 people being admitted to New Zealand hospitals (with a laboratory confirmed diagnosis for the pandemic strain). In this study, we aimed to estimate the hospitalisation costs borne by the New Zealand Government for this pandemic. We estimated the total average cost to the hospital sector in New Zealand of NZ$ 30.5 million (95% uncertainty interval: 22.3 to 39.5 million). In an additional cost-effectiveness analysis (using a hypothetical situation relating to no hospital care), the results were suggestive that hospital care was likely to be a relatively cost-effective means of preventing death from pandemic influenza (i.e., at around NZ$155,000 per life saved from pandemic influenza). In conclusion, these high hospitalisation costs for a relatively non-severe pandemic indicate the potential value of preventive measures (e.g., vaccination) and of investing in pandemic planning and other control measures to reduce person-to-person spread.

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