4 May 2022
Cassandra Saunders
By email: [FYI request #19113 email]
Dear Cassandra
Official Information Act Request: COVID-19 Additional Data Request
On 11 April 2022 you sent a request for information under the Official Information Act 1982
to the Ministry of Health, who transferred your request to ESR on 19 April 2022. The request
transferred to ESR was as follows:
I would like to know how many cases of Meningitis (any variant), were diagnosed in the past
3 years and if possible, a breakdown by DHB, and by year.
I would also like to know how many deaths were attributed per year, for the last 3 years to
meningitis.
Our response to your request:
I would like to know how many cases of Meningitis (any variant), were diagnosed in
the past 3 years and if possible, a breakdown by DHB, and by year.
The total number of Meningococcal disease notifications recorded in Episurv1 in the past 3
years broken down by District Health Board is identified in the following table:
District Health Board
2019
2020
2021
Northland
9
1
3
Waitemata
23
4
4
Auckland
12
4
Counties Manukau
23
4
5
Waikato
10
4
3
Lakes
3
3
2
Bay of Plenty
11
2
2
Tairawhiti
2
Taranaki
1
1
Hawke's Bay
2
1
3
Whanganui
3
1
Mid Central
5
1
Hutt Valley
3
2
1
Capital and Coast
12
1
1
Wairarapa
2
Nelson Marlborough
1
3
West Coast
1
1
Canterbury
11
6
7
South Canterbury
1
Southern
6
7
Total
139
35
44
1 EpiSurv collates notifiable disease information on a real-time basis from the Public Health Services in New
Zealand.
I would also like to know how many deaths were attributed per year, for the last 3
years to meningitis.
The total number of Meningococcal disease deaths recorded in Episurv in the past 3 years is
identified in the following table:
District Health Board
2019
2020
2021
Number of deaths
10
3
3
Your right to seek a review
You have the right to seek an investigation and review by the Ombudsman of this decision.
Information about how to make a complaint is available at www.ombudsman.parliament.nz
or freephone 0800 802 602.
Thank you for your request.
Yours sincerely
Jill Vintiner
Joint General Manager Health and Environment - Health ESR
