10. Pacific Peoples—Typhoid OutbreakAupito WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Māngere) to the Minister for Pacific PeoplesPacific Peoples—Typhoid Outbreak10. Aupito WILLIAM SIO (Labour—Māngere) to the Minister for Pacific Peoples: Has he asked the Ministry for Pacific Peoples to do any work into the impact of the recent typhoid outbreak on the Pacific community; if so what?Hon ALFRED NGARO (Minister for Pacific Peoples): I have asked the ministry to work closely with the Ministry of Health and the Auckland Regional Public Health Service to get information out to the community. The Auckland Regional Public Health Service has created an information page and fact sheet which are being used in communal areas for churches and community groups. They have both been translated into English and Samoan as well. The ministry has shared resources around general hygiene and disease awareness via social media channels. Regional advisers of the ministry have been briefed on talking points and information to share with leaders and contacts within the Pacific community. The Auckland regional advisers have also been on the ground with the Mount Roskill community providing key information. The Auckland Regional Public Health Service is leading the information drive and the team is disseminating updated information as soon as it is received. I know that the Minister of Health has commissioned a report into exactly what happened and where the communication broke down.Aupito William Sio: Why has he not visited the family of the Samoan woman who died from typhoid to share his condolences nor responded to my letter of 5 April on this issue nor visited the church to reassure them that this disease will not spread further? Hon ALFRED NGARO: In this instance it is important that the clinical services of the Auckland Regional Public Health Service is critically playing its role. I am sure that the member will know that on many occasions I have visited different Pacific communities when they have been in crisis such as on Christmas Day and Boxing Day when the Tongan community was in stress over the chaos or it could have been in Māngere when the member was there at the memorial service for the Tongan Queen as well. So it is not that I as the Minister have not been willing. I have been willing and in fact I have been there on many occasions. In this case the lead Minister is the Minister of Health. My role is a supporting role to make sure that we have disseminated the information and to make sure that the clinical services are there. That is critically important in supporting our community. Aupito William Sio: What exactly has he done to help the Pacific community given there has been the death of a Samoan woman and the number of confirmed typhoid fever cases has jumped from just three on 22 March to 11 cases on 3 April 18 cases on 7 April and now 20 cases have been confirmed close to Easter? Hon ALFRED NGARO: My role as the Minister for Pacific Peoples is to ensure that the lead role of the Minister of Health and the associate role of the Associate Minister of Health is to be supportive—to ensure that I have spoken to the Minister and that the clinical services are in place. So my role as a Minister and the role of the ministry is to ensure that we get that information out. It has been translated into Samoan. It has been out there with our lead advisers using those key networks. Those are the roles of the Minister for Pacific Peoples. Aupito William Sio: Can he guarantee the Pacific community that his Government has contained the spread of typhoid in Auckland and that we will not see more people being put at risk of typhoid infections when families and church groups gather this weekend to celebrate Easter? Hon ALFRED NGARO: Can I first of all acknowledge the fact that yes there has been a death in the family—and I did acknowledge it as the Minister in regard to the passing away of the woman in this case. Can I also too let the member know that our ministry has put out and disseminated more information during the Easter break in particular. It is really important to ensure that there is hygiene information that all people should know not just our Pacific community—Dr David Clark: Answer the question. Hon ALFRED NGARO: —and that is critically important. And that is answering the question about my role as the Minister for Pacific Peoples. What I can say to the member is this: we as a Government have been doing everything possible to ensure that we have met the clinical concerns and the health concerns that are there. At the same time too we look forward to the report that will talk about the review in regards to the whole of this case the information that was shared and the comms plan as well. Aupito William Sio: Did he take any steps to ensure health officials from Samoa were informed of the typhoid outbreak as is required by the International Health Regulations 2005 to reduce the risk of typhoid spreading outside of Auckland; if so when did this occur? Hon ALFRED NGARO: I am sure that member will know—he has been in Parliament long enough—that there are roles and responsibilities that the key lead Minister will have. That is the Minister of Health and that is the Associate Minister of Health and those are those roles. For my role as the Minister for Pacific Peoples it is important to ensure that I give the back up of support in disseminating that information. Aupito William Sio: Supplementary—Mr SPEAKER: No the Labour members have used all of their supplementary questions today. I appreciate his enthusiasm.