Canterbury District Health Board Quake Update
Canterbury District Health Board Quake
Update
Hospital
Services
All non-urgent elective surgery
will be cancelled for the remainder of this week (Wednesday,
Thursday and Friday) This includes all pre-arranged
admissions for Christchurch, Christchurch Women’s and
Burwood Hospitals. Scheduled Caesarean sections and
inductions will continue. Affected patients are being
contacted.
Outpatient clinics are still running, however, the advice to the public is to come in if you can make your appointment – but if you can’t get in to your clinic the DHB will be in touch to reschedule at a later date.
The flow of patients to hospital is steady with a noticeable increase in the number of patients requiring admission to cardiology. There is still good capacity in this specialty.
Akaroa Hospital, along with Lincoln Maternity Hospital and the Burwood Birthing Unit remain closed.
All main hospital buildings have been re-checked following last night’s after-shocks to ensure they remain safe and structurally sound. Engineers are continuing to work through all facilities identifying what repairs may be required.
Public Health
messages
People need to take the following
advice to avoid getting sick with stomach bugs and other
illnesses.
Drinking Water
People living in the Christchurch, Waimakariri and
Selwyn Districts should assume at the moment that tap water
is unsafe and contaminated until advised by the Council that
it is safe.
All tap water should be boiled for one minute
before drinking, brushing teeth or washing/preparing food.
Water being boiled in a pot should be boiled
for one minute
Water being boiled in a jug
should be brought to the boil twice
Councils will be
testing water supplies intensively over the next few days
and will advise when water is safe to use without boiling.
Even though water may look clear, it should be treated as
contaminated and unsafe to drink due to damaged underground
water and sewerage pipes.
Drinking water supplies are
being asked to obtain three clear E.coli samples (from
consecutive days) prior to lifting “boil water” notices.
Surface
Waters
People should avoid contact with sewage.
Assume river, sea water and any other surface water is
contaminated with sewage. People should stay away and not
swim, fish or gather shellfish in the sea, Canterbury rivers
or any areas of standing water until notified.
People who
have sewage contamination within their home should move out
to alternative accommodation.
Toilets
People should be advised to
use as little water as possible to flush toilets where water
is available. Where water is not available, people should
be advised to make a temporary toilet with a bin lined with
two plastic bags. The bin should be covered between uses.
The contents can be buried when the bin is no longer needed.
Details of how to make a temporary toilet can be found at http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/protecting-your-health-in-an-emergency
Hand Washing
Frequent handwashing needs to be
emphasised. Remind people to wash hands, particularly
after:
• Using the toilet
• Before
and after preparing food
• Handling rubbish or
waste
• Cleaning toilets, bathrooms
•
Handling soiled clothing or bed linen
•
Handling cleaning equipment such as cloths, buckets and
mops
Hand washing stops diseases spreading. Cold water
is fine as long as soap is used and hands are thoroughly
dried. Where people do not have access to water, alcohol
gel is a good alternative. Hands do not need to be dried if
alcohol gel is used.
Dishwashers
People who want to use
dishwashers should be advised that a full hot wash with
detergent (not economy wash) must be used. Dishes must be
allowed to dry fully prior to re-use.
Contact with
neighbours/friends
People are encouraged to look
after each other. Advise people to keep in touch with
families, friends and neighbours and support each
other.
People who are unwell
Anyone who is
unwell with a minor injury or illness and needs medical
assistance should be advised to call their General Practice
or nearest after hours surgery. The Emergency Department
must be kept for emergencies only. If you need an ambulance
dial 111
Gastroenteritis
The
Communicable Disease Team of the Community & Public Health
Division of Canterbury District Health Board are monitoring
any reports of vomiting and diarrhoea
(gastroenteritis)
Treating
gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis is a stomach illness
contracted through eating or drinking. Contaminated
drinking water can cause gastroenteritis.
Symptoms can start 10 hours after contact with the virus and last up to 72 hours, although some people may be unwell for longer.
Symptoms include nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and vomiting.
Vomiting is more common in children and dehydration can be a problem in young babies, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.
Gastroenteritis
cannot be treated with antibiotics, CDHB recommends the
following treatment and precautions:
• Drink
plenty of fluids while the diarrhoea lasts to prevent
dehydration – this is most important for infants
•
See a doctor if vomiting and/or diarrhoea is severe or the
illness does not improve.
• Stay away from school
or work until you are symptom free for 48 hours
•
Pay special attention to hand washing, especially after
using the toilet.
• Do not prepare food for
others.
• Always use separate towels and face
cloths.
Aged Care
200 residents from
two rest homes in Christchurch are being temporarily
relocated over the coming days. Patient’s safety is
paramount and providers are working hard to ensure a smooth
transition for residents and patients. The CDHB has
established a special team to coordinate all services for
older people to ensure those with the greatest need receive
care and assistance.
Primary (GP) Care and Pharmacy
services
General practice is up and running in
Canterbury. If you need to see a doctor please phone or go
to your usual general practice.
Pharmacies
Most pharmacies in Canterbury are operating as
usual. If your usual pharmacy is go to the nearest pharmacy
– your GP practice will be able to advise you. The
Urgent Pharmacy in Bealey Avenue is now open its usual hours
(i.e. after hours)
Healthline calls
Telephone network instability which caused problems for Healthline yesterday have been resolved. Yesterday Healthline received 1789 calls – the second highest level for the year.
Healthline provides free health advice 24 hours a day, seven days a week 0800 611 116.
The following
information has been provided to CDHB staff and may be
useful for the public:
Possible
Psychological Reactions to an Earthquake
Ron Chambers
& Lee Kannis
Anxiety Disorders Unit, CDHB.
It is understandable given the recent earthquake and ongoing aftershocks that many people may feel anxious and distressed. It is common following a traumatic event for people to experience a range of psychological responses. These may include:
• Feeling on edge, nervous, or tense.
• Sleep disturbance and nightmares.
• Being
easily startled.
• Tearful.
• Swings in emotion,
including irritability and sadness.
• Anxiety symptoms
like a racing heart, rapid breathing, and trembling.
• Thoughts and memories about the event continuing to
pop into your mind, even days afterwards.
Usually, these psychological reactions will dissipate over the following days to weeks as the mind makes sense of what happened. What is important at this time is to allow people to work through their experience of the earthquake at their own pace. For many people it will be enough just to discuss and make sense of the event with friends, neighbours, and family. For others, it may be not discussing it much but keeping themselves busy doing other activities. What ever the person’s style it is important to allow people the space to do this. It is best not to push people to discuss what happened if they do not want to. If someone does want to talk it through then let them do this.
An important concern people will often have is the reaction of children to such events. Children may experience some of the same reactions listed above. However, there may be differences in how these reactions are displayed. For example, younger children may be more clingy, experience an increase in bad dreams (not always just about the earthquake), loss of appetite, and have an increase in physical complaints such as headaches and stomach aches.
Suggestions for supporting children include the following:
• Be
supportive and reassuring, your children may need to be
held.
• Your child’s fears are genuine to them, this
may include worries they may be separated from their parents
and needing them close. Talk this through with them.
• Listen to your child’s fears and explanations
about what happened.
• Return to some sense of
normalcy, such as playing with friends going back to school.
• Regular routines are important, such as meals and
bedtimes.
• If children are demonstrating aggression
or anger then use a nurturing but firm approach, pointing
out their behaviour is not acceptable.
• Explain what
you know about the disaster. You may need to do this more
than once.
• Your child may want to re-enact or draw
pictures about the earthquake, this is okay.
If people are experiencing significant distress and it is not beginning to reduce within two to three weeks then more specialised support from a mental health professional may be recommended. In the first instance people should contact their GP for advice on how to access appropriate help.
The earthquake and ongoing after shocks have been a very frightening experience for everyone. What most people are experiencing now is the minds normal response to this extraordinary event.
ENDS