News travels fast in the cyberspacoid age. Google has headlined it: canada.com There are of course many Canadians visiting Dunedin, so it's a short hop from Vancouver [and Toronto], not to mention Mars.
<Three deaths spark New Zealand medical alert
RAY LILLEY
Canadian Press
Thursday, August 28, 2003
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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - New Zealand health authorities went on high alert Thursday as medical specialists struggled to unravel the cause of three sudden, unexplained deaths in the southern city of Dunedin in the last two weeks.
The three cases, a woman and two men in their 40s and 50s, had no obvious risk factors and would not normally die suddenly, Otago Medical Officer of Health Dr. John Holmes said in a statement.
All three fell ill suddenly and died within hours, he said. Initial tests suggested they all died of pulmonary hemorrhage, or bleeding in their lungs.
All three came from the same part of the city and had been healthy before suddenly falling ill and dying, two within an hour of displaying symptoms, Holmes said.
Investigations suggested the three were not related and there was no obvious contact among them.
"No other cases of illness have been reported linked to these deaths and the deaths all occurred within 10 days. The first death was now over two weeks ago," he said.
The Otago District Health Board, which covers Dunedin, reminded health professionals to take care when dealing with patients who had collapsed, were in shock, had suddenly developed breathing problems or had pneumonia. Precautions included wearing a mask, gloves and gown.
Health Ministry officials said the deaths were not caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), which earlier this year killed hundreds of people worldwide.
Investigations so far have not been able to identify any virus or bacteria linked to the deaths. No other related deaths have been reported in the city, they said.
Samples from the three victims were being sent to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, for testing.
Director General of Health Karen Poutasi said hospitals nationwide had been notified of the mystery deaths, and asked to investigate any recent unexplained deaths. The ministry was putting surveillance measures in place at medical centers and hospitals.
"This is still a very low number of cases, but the ministry wants to know whether there are any more cases elsewhere in the country," she said. "We will be monitoring the situation very, very closely."
Authorities said one of the men had died at home.
A short time later a woman collapsed after visiting her doctor. She was resuscitated but died in a hospital.
"When we had another case over the weekend, the same sort of thing, we thought this might not be chance ... and we are considering all possibilities," infectious diseases expert Tim Blackmore said.
He said the list of possible causes of death was "as long as your arm."
Dunedin is a city of 85,000 people in on South Island, 740 kilometers (465 miles) south of the capital, Wellington.
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