The DHB has confirmed that two elderly people are in intensive care.
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Two elderly people were critically ill in hospital on Sunday and the link was being drawn to the outbreak.
Presentations to accident and medical centres continue to increase.
However, more than 50 people presented to the emergency department at Hawke’s Bay Hospital, and 18 people were hospitalised.
The Havelock North District Health Board says they’re doing all they can to combat a waterborne illness sweeping the region. A death at a Havelock North rest home may also be linked to the illness.
It’s becoming clearer that the gastro bug that’s made hundreds of people sick in Havelock North is from the campylobacter bacterium.
The outbreak is believed to have been caused by campylobacter bacteria contaminating the town’s water supply. It reported that all schools in the town will be closed over the next two days.
“The Board of Trustees in conjunction with our Senior Management Team have made the hard decision to close the Boarding House and the Day School from 7.00pm this evening”.
Five local schools chose to close for the next two days, saying about half the children were sick as well as numerous teachers.
The scale of the problem in Havelock North is explained by ONE News Reporter Nicole Bremner.
She had chosen to keep her child home for the day, but had called in for some voluntary work at Havelock North Primary School.
All of the results back from people who have the bug and who have been tested are positive for campylobacter however the boil notice will remain in place until we are confident there is no other bug resistant to chlorination in the water, which is expected to take several days.
This may be from contaminated water and food, or from contact with infected people.
Hands needed to be washed thoroughly by using plenty of soap, cleaning under fingernails, rinsing hands well and drying on a clean towel: before and after preparing food, after going to the toilet or changing a baby’s nappy, after caring for sick people and after touching animals.
According to Hastings District Mayor Lawrence Yule, this is the largest outbreak of its kind in New Zealand’s history.
Mr Yule said the outbreak was a mystery because the water test on Tuesday was clear.
He said the key focus was to find out how it happened and to prevent if from ever happening it again.
Nick Jones, a Hawke’s Bay DHB medical officer, told Radio New Zealand the council had no idea how the faecal matter entered the water supply, but they were investigating.
“We don’t treat our water in Hastings because it’s pristine”.
The Council issued a public apology.
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Symptoms being reported were diarrhoea and flu-like symptoms: headaches, muscle pain, fever and feeling generally unwell.
