Baby Boy Catches Meningococcal Living in an Overcrowded House

A baby boy has contracted the potentially deadly meningococcal meningitis while living in an overcrowded house.

A three-month-old boy, Hamish, who lives in a home in the New Zealand town of Tauranga with 10 other people sharing two bedrooms, a lounge and a caravan, has caught the potentially deadly meningococcal meningitis.

He lives in a two-bedroom state house in Gate Pa, along with seven other people – including a 16-month-old and three teenagers. Three other people, including two children aged 5 and 13, live in a caravan outside.

On Sunday, doctors confirmed that the baby had meningococcal meningitis. Tauranga Hospital specialist paediatrician Dr Hugh Lees this week wrote to Housing New Zealand (HNZ) on behalf of the family, that the cause of the illness was “known to be associated with overcrowding”. He asked that the case be given urgent attention and supported an application for “appropriate housing”.

“Inadequate shelter and overcrowding are major factors in the transmission of diseases with epidemic potential such as acute respiratory infections, meningitis and others. Outbreaks of disease are more frequent and more severe when the population density is high,” Dr Lees said.

Dr Lees said the baby was in good health at birth.

The baby’s grandmother and guardian, Charmaigne, who is on a medical benefit but looking for work, said she had rented the Housing New Zealand Property for three years.

Ministry of Social Development Social Housing Deputy Chief Executive Carl Crafar said Charmaigne had been on the Social Housing Transfer Register since January 2014. “We first became aware of the baby’s illness on Monday – as a result we applied a rheumatic-fever fast-track to the application making the family a priority for placement in a larger social housing property. We are working with Housing New Zealand to identify an appropriate four-bedroom property in one of their preferred suburbs … Staff are working with Charmaigne and her family to see what further assistance can be provided while a suitable property is identified,” he said.

Hamish’s 18-year-old mother, Ashley, said she was horrified Hamish’s sickness could have been brought on by where they were living. “I don’t want to take him back to that crowded house … I’m terrified he would get sick again,” she said.

Charmaigne said it was hard to watch the baby boy suffering tests, including a lumbar puncture, which revealed the deadly disease.

She said the baby is now stable but would remain in hospital until next week.

Source: Gladstoneobserver.com.au