Six residents at a Whitianga aged care facility have died after an outbreak of influenza.
Dr Felicity Dumble said Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand was notified of an outbreak with "influenza-like symptoms" at Whitianga Care Centre on January 28.
She said the National Public Health Service (NPHS) provided information and guidance for managing the outbreak,which lasted almost two weeks and ended last Friday.
"From a NPHS perspective, the outbreak was closed on February 9, based on no further spread of the illness," she said.
In a statement to 1News, Oceania Healthcare's group general manager of sales and services Anita Hawthorne expressed her "deepest sympathies" to those families who have lost loved ones due to the virus.
"We worked closely with Te Whatu Ora ensuring full infection control protocols were followed, and can advise that there are no more influenza virus cases at our Whitianga Care Centre," she said.
"We also want to thank our valued team members who worked closely and sensitively with residents, their families and the community during this isolated outbreak."
A 'very significant outbreak'
Otago University epidemiology professor Michael Baker said the number of deaths was "certainly unusual" but that cases of the flu and outbreaks of this nature can occur year-round.
"The big problem is that you have a whole lot of very vulnerable older people living in very confined conditions and that is just a formula, unfortunately, for influenza to spread rapidly," he said.
Baker said it takes only one person to introduce influenza into an aged care facility population to cause a "high mortality rate".
"I think there were about 40 to 45 residents [infected] there, so that's a very high mortality risk in that group. It looks like about 30% of staff and residents were affected, so that is a very significant outbreak," he said.
"Flu kills about 500 people every year in New Zealand. And most of those deaths happen in winter time."
Baker said elderly populations that are otherwise "quite well" face a higher mortality risk from contracting respiratory viruses such as influenza and Covid-19.
"For flu and Covid-19, of course, we have vaccines that are very effective and reducing but not eliminating our chance of getting infected. And also, improving outcomes is still the most important measure."
He said the outbreak serves as a reminder for family or staff visiting elderly relatives to take specific precautions to stop the aerosol spread of respiratory viruses.
"So that means if residents are sick, they're isolated in their own room and obviously visitors and staff should not visit if they are sick because if we can keep the virus out of these facilities, that is going to protect all the residents and that's really important".
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