Havelock North water supply contamination

Dr Anita Jagroop-Dearing is a senior academic at EIT, International Postgraduate Programme Coordinator in Health Science and Nursing and Chair of the Health Research Committee.

Anita is also the Project Manager for the Havelock North Campylobacter Outbreak (HCNO) research programme, based on the campylobacter outbreak in 2016 which affected about 5000 people. This outbreak of gastroenteritis shook public confidence as about 45 people were sent to hospital, with a possible three deaths and an unknown number of elderly residents who continue to suffer from health complications.

Funded by the Health Research Council, the HCNO programme brings together experts from across the health and academic sectors in New Zealand: Hawke’s Bay District Health Board, University of Otago, Institute of Environmental Science and Research, Massey University and EIT.

Areas of analysis include: an assessment of the outbreak and the public health sector’s response to it, community prevalence and incidence of reactive arthritis following the Campylobacter outbreak, long-term health impacts, functional decline among aged residential care facility residents following campylobacter infection, and an exploration of non-traditional early warning detection tools like social media feeds.