TOP STORY: Vicious stomach bug strikes Bay

By Paul Dykes
A vicious stomach bug that leaves some of its victims barely able to walk is bringing down people across the Western Bay.
The virus is striking at the peak time for food poisonings - with gastric bacterial infections a major risk with summer cooking - and just days out from Christmas.
The gastroenteritis bug has knocked down fit young people, and poses a real threat to older people or those with a pre-existing medical condition.
It usually attacks in the night, giving its targets little warning that it's taking over.
Within minutes of the first stomach pains, it induces vomiting on a grand scale - a debilitating, gut-wrenching ordeal that for many unfortunate sufferers is accompanied by diarrhoea.
Dr Marty Lemberg, practice manager at Otumoetai Doctors, said it has made its appearance in the last week or so, bringing growing numbers of victims into GPs practices for advice.
"There has been an increase in the number of patients with viral gastric symptoms," he confirmed.
The severest symptoms usually disappear after 24 hours, but it can take several days for patients to feel back to full strength.
Dr Phil Shoemack, the Bay of Plenty's Medical Officer of Health, said he would not normally hear of such a bug until it caused significant illness.
"It's not ordinarily notifiable to us, unless there are several cases in a cluster, say an outbreak in a family, a workplace or institution.
"We haven't been told of any such outbreak, but in terms of advice to the public it harks back to good food preparation practices - good food storage, food preparation, and adequately cooking food.
Dr Shoemack said the latest food and water-borne disease notification data was not exceptional, but the summer season was just starting to get under way.
For Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty, the Medical Officer of Health has been notified of 400 campylobacteriosis cases, 28 cryptosporidiosis, 52 giardiasis and 44 salmonellosis cases.
There were fewer than 10 cases each of hepatitis A, listeriosis, paratyphoid fever, shigellosis, and notified acute gastroenteritis.
"Associated with all of that and other things is hand washing. It seems like a low-tech message, but it's incredibly important to prevent the spread of illness, particularly viral infections."
For Tauranga copier technician Tony Best, the new tummy bug was almost unbearable, reducing the fit, 34-year-old to having to crawl about on the floor.
"I had a sore stomach, and the next morning I had difficulty eating breakfast. By 10am, I was vomiting.
"I felt like I wanted to sleep, I couldn't concentrate. I thought I'd go and lie down, but every 90 minutes or so I'd get stomach cramps, and then I'd be vomiting again, alternating with diarrhoea.
"I was sick half a dozen times during the day to the point where I couldn't keep water down. I couldn't walk, I couldn't stand, I was exhausted. I had to crawl on hands and knees."
The attacks stopped by nightfall, but he got little sleep because of hot and cold flushes.
" The next day, I was much better, but extremely thirsty. There are still some lingering symptoms, but I'll bounce back."
Another Bay victim in her mid-20s, who works for Toi Te Ora Public Health, spent two days in bed too tired to move about after finding the stairs a major challenge."It came on so sudden," she said.
"I woke about midnight feeling really sick in the stomach, and ended up vomiting five times."