Church mourns typhoid death

04 April 2017

One person who contracted typhoid in the current outbreak in Auckland has died.

Auckland Regional Public Health Service Clinical Director Dr Julia Peters says the person was hospitalised with some serious health issues and the typhoid infection was another complicating factor.

The woman who died was a member of the Mt Roskill Samoan Assembly of God Church at the centre of an outbreak of typhoid, says Dr Peters.

The woman, from Mt Roskill, died in hospital on Tuesday 28 March in Auckland Hospital.

Other confirmed cases linked to the outbreak are being treated in hospital. They are all members of the church but lived in locations across central and south Auckland.

"We are working with the church to trace other people who may be infected and we are doing this while they are mourning the loss of one of their own," Dr Peters says.

The funeral took place on Monday. Dr Peters says ARPHS delayed announcing the death to enable funeral arrangements to be concluded. "We extend our sympathy to the woman’s family and church community."

Dr Peters says it seems likely that, as a group of cases emerged around the same time late last week, they had been infected at the same time or place.

Symptoms include a high fever developing over several days, headaches, general weakness and muscle aches. Stomach pain and constipation are also common but some people get diarrhoea.

Dr Peters urges anyone with those symptoms feeling very unwell to see their doctor or an after-hours clinic, or contact Healthline on 0800 611 116.

ENDS

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