Aquaphobia over vicious bug
A Queenstown woman hospitalised for seven days with suspected cryptosporidium says she's worried about even showering in case she gets another severe bout.
Meagan Wilken, who lives in Sunshine Bay, became violently sick about three weeks ago, the illness coming on suddenly with symptoms including vomiting, diarrhoea and headaches.
"I just couldn't keep anything down, or get in enough fluids, and my stomach cramps were really, really bad," she says.
"I ended up in Lakes District Hospital but because I'm pregnant, they just kept treating me like I had really bad morning sickness, which was quite frustrating.
"We knew there was a gastro bug doing the rounds in Fernhill and we asked about that, but the doctors didn't make the link. The council hadn't put anything out by then, so they just sent me home.
"Then, by the Thursday I was extremely ill and went back to my GP."
Her GP sent her down to Invercargill Hospital, where unfortunately the story was much the same as Lakes District.
"The nurses were brilliant, but I kept seeing different doctors every day, and all gynaecologists, when I feel I should have had someone who was expert in gastro bugs.
"One nice doctor did reassure me and my husband that the baby was safe, though, which had been the scariest thing."
Wilken had five different IV lines over seven days because her veins kept degrading. She was even too dehydrated to provide a sample for testing and was eventually sent home with some medication.
She still feels ill and had considered going back to hospital on Sunday.
"It's almost like it's coming back and I'm petrified. We're drinking bottled or boiled water and even if I have a shower, I'm worried can it get back in, is it coming back?"
Te Whatu Ora is working alongside Queenstown Lakes District Council to establish the source of the outbreak.
While this continues, the boil water notice remains in place for Queenstown and Frankton residents and businesses, enforced by water regulator Taumata Arowai, who last week served QLDC with a 'non-compliant' notice over its Two Mile water treatment plant, which does not have a protozoa barrier to filter the parasite cryptosporidium.
Queenstown's mayor Glyn Lewers admitted on Thursday a $30m upgrade with a protozoa barrier would take months, although a UV filter a possible short-term fix.
And six of QLDC's 12 treatment plants do not have a protozoa barrier, including the whole of Wānaka.
Lewers says the council will have "some pretty hard decisions to make" about prioritisation after this, and non-core projects could be deferred in favour of the basics "water, wastewater, stormwater and roads", unless Government funding is secured.
Medical Officer of Health Dr Emma Sherwood says her team is keeping an open mind about the source, however, which could include "people who have recently travelled overseas, food or drink products, hospitality premises, recreational water, or water that’s been tainted by parasites from animals".
A heat map of positive cases shows most live or work in the CBD but, anecdotally, there are a lot of sick people in Fernhill.
Wilken, 36, says it would be a relief if it wasn't in the water.
"It would take some of the stress away."
Meantime, council has installed two clean water tankers downtown in Athol St and two at Queenstown Events Centre, but none at Fernhill.
"I did have to laugh about that," Wilken says. "It takes an hour to get into town from Fernhill because of the traffic lights and road works. You'd think they'd have done a little bit more for us, because we appear to be worst affected suburb."
