Hawke’s Bay Hospital has restricted visiting to its maternity unit, children’s ward and Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU), Emergency Department (ED) and Intensive Care Unit to help prevent further spread of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.
Hawke’s Bay DHB spokesperson Dr Philip Moore said no visitors, other than parents and main caregivers, would be able to visit Hawke’s Bay Hospital’s maternity units; Waioha and Ata Rangi or Special Care Baby Unit, and the children’s ward to help protect newborn babies and sick children from catching it.
Dr Moore said RSV was very contagious and caused severe and life-threatening illness in babies and sick children.
He said he had not seen the numbers of sick children needing hospital care like this in his 28 years as a pediatrician in Hawke’s Bay.
There are currently five babies and small children in Hawke’s Bay Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit and the children’s ward has a number of children needing oxygen support to help them breathe.
Dr Moore said pauses with breathing can be a symptom of severe RSV illness in babies and signs of this, especially in the very young, meant they should be seen by a doctor urgently.
Other signs of when to seek medical attention urgently include very fast breathing, laboured breathing, or a young child being sluggish or lethargic.
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Dannevirke’s True Honey Company has taken out a top award at the 2021 Primary Industries New Zealand Awards.
The awards ceremony was held in Christchurch earlier this week, with seven winners named from 65 nominations.
The True Honey Company was named winner of the Primary Industries Producer Award.
The judging panel said True Honey had taken the highest grade New Zealand manuka honey to the world’s most exclusive markets.
They said from having hives in dense manuka serviced by helicopter, to world class processing for a quality driven highly discerning marketplace, the company has taken a natural New Zealand product to international recognition and acclaim.