Typhoid cases

Documents released under the Official Information Act show health authorities scrambling to keep the public updated after a breakdown in communication when news broke that 10 people, including three children, had been hospitalised with typhoid fever.

The outbreak was revealed publicly late afternoon on Friday, March 31. Authorities had identified an outbreak more than a week earlier and the fact that a woman had died from the disease was not made public until Tuesday, April 4.

The message was contained in a joint statement released by members of the family and church impacted by the outbreak as well as community leaders, and senior leaders from the health sector have agreed

On Friday the parties acknowledged areas where things could have gone better, and agreed to work together.

Representatives of the Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) met with the congregation of the Mt Albert Assembly of God on Sunday to answer questions on the outbreak, and provide information on testing and prevention.

All cases have been linked to the Samoan Assembly of God church in Mt Roskill.

RNZ reports an Auckland Regional Public Health service spokesperson said there was no evidence the disease had spread any further.

Typhoid cannot be spread by casual contact, such as hugging and kissing, the service said, but people were encouraged to wash their hands regularly and be careful with food preparation.

Photo Auckland City Hospital 

Auckland Regional Public Health Service (ARPHS) said an 11th confirmed case had been identified and the person was in hospital.

All cases are linked and are among members of a Pacific church community in Auckland, said Dr Julia Peters, the regional health service's clinical director.

Health officials first issued an alert on Friday saying 10 people were in hospital.

Auckland gets around 30 cases of typhoid a year but are usually individual cases where someone has been infected overseas.

So far the source of the latest case has not been indentified.