Wellington beset by 93 cases of cryptosporidiosis

Amid the spread of contagious cryptosporidiosis throughout the New Zealand capital – currently totalling 93 cases this year – another furore has arisen relating to a toddler pool.

New Zealand Herald journalist Katrina Bennett has reported that Hutt City Council had knowledge of a likely cryptosporidiosis infection in one of its toddler swimming pools during the public health outbreak.

However, the council didn’t immediately alert the public as it didn’t want to cause “undue alarm”.

The journalist saw internal council emails confirming the toddler’s pool at Te Ngaengae was identified as a common area for cases on March 12. Yet the council did not release any information about the pool being linked to the outbreak until March 21, when it posted an update on Facebook.

The Herald reported that angry parents have questioned why council didn’t alert them sooner, so they could make informed choices to safeguard their children.

One of the people affected by the crypto outbreak described the illness as something you “wouldn’t wish on anyone”, with another woman so worried about her sick husband she nearly called an ambulance.

Council has defended its communications, saying it followed all public health guidance and didn’t want to cause alarm until there was a confirmed link.