1 dead, 14 sickened in New Zealand typhoid fever outbreak
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — An outbreak of typhoid fever among a church community in New Zealand has caused one death and left at least 14 other people hospitalized, health authorities said Tuesday.
A person who travelled to the Pacific Islands recently apparently contracted the disease there then spread it to others in New Zealand, Health Minister Jonathan Coleman said.
Most of the cases began emerging last week, and Coleman said authorities don’t believe the disease has been spread through water contamination.
“So it’s person-to-person contact,” Coleman said. “It’s a congregation sharing food together, being in close contact.”