Recommendation to make E. sakazakii meningitis notifiable reinforced by historical cases

Media Release
7 April 2005

Recommendation to make E. sakazakii meningitis notifiable reinforced by historical cases

Reports of two historical cases of Enterobacter sakazakii meningitis in Auckland 14 years ago reinforce recommendations to make the disease notifiable.

The recommendations are contained in an internationally peer reviewed report into Government agencies' response to infant formula contamination which was released by the Ministry of Health yesterday. The report follows the death in July last year of a premature Waikato infant who died of meningitis caused by E. sakazakii sourced powdered infant formula used in providing care for the baby.

Director of Public Health Dr Mark Jacobs said the Ministry of Health had sought to identify any past cases of the disease following the death of the Waikato infant. While the Ministry was aware of anecdotal reports of a previous case, it was unable to confirm that any other New Zealand cases had occurred.

The Ministry received information today (April 6) that newborn twins had contracted E. sakazakii meningitis in the neonatal intensive care unit at National Women's Hospital in Auckland in 1991. Both babies survived but one suffered brain damage and spastic quadriplegia.

Dr Jacobs said the Ministry's efforts to confirm any earlier cases had been unsuccessful. There had been no requirement for the cases to be reported to the Ministry of Health by the hospital or ACC.

He said this information would have been available to the Ministry if the disease had been notifiable. The current publicity about E. sakazakii means that further historic cases are now more likely to come to light.

"This new information reinforces the recommendations made in the report that Enterobacter sakazakii meningitis be made a notifiable disease," said Dr Jacobs.

The Auckland cases were finally found to be covered by ACC following legal action taken by the family of the infants.

For more information contact:
Emily Barrett
Media Advisor,
ph: 04-496-2483
or 021-277-5411
http://www.moh.govt.nz/media.html

E.Sakazakii Meningitis to become a Notifiable Disease (5 April 2005)

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