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Health authorities concerned after rare MRSA-related pneumonia kills boy

By
Kalino Latu
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Tonga’s Health Ministry has expressed its concern after the death of a 12 year-old boy from Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).

Known as a ‘superbug’ because of its resistance to treatment, MRSA normally occurs among people who have been hospitalised for treatment.

However, according to the prestigious Mayo Clinic, MRSA infections can occur in the wider community and is spread by skin to skin contact.  People living in crowded conditions are at risk.

‘Atunaisa Wilson Mataongo, from Vava’u, died on June 30 after he was infected with MRSA.

He had been rushed to hospital in Vava’u where he was treated for pneumonia.

His condition deteriorated and he was flown to Vaiola Hospital in Tongatapu, but later died.

Health Director Dr. Siale Akauola said MRSA infections were rare in Tonga.

Dr. ‘Akau’ola told Kaniva News the Ministry was concerned about the existence of the bacteria in the Tongan community.

Family concerns

A number of allegations about the boy’s treatment have been posted on Facebook.

These have been denied by the health authorities.

The allegations include claims that the boy was given Panadol and told to go home, that complaints of a stomach ache were ignored and that his mother was told to stop over-indulging the boy.

Dr. ‘Akauʻola said the doctors in Vava’u treated the boy appropriately for Staph Aureus pneumonia. He received the same treatment when he arrived at Vaiola hospital in Tongatapu.

“The medical treatment could not fight against the bacteria and he eventually died,” Dr. ‘Akau’ola said.

He said the boy’s condition had already deteriorated when he was brought to hospital.

He said medical staff tried to clarify with the family everything relating to the boy’s sickness and the cause of death.

Dr ‘Akau’ola said the medical authorities understood the family were frustrated and saddened by the death of their son.

What is MRSA? 

According to Health E New Zealand, MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. The term is used to describe a number of strains of the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, that are resistant to a number of antibiotics, including methicillin.

What is staphylococcus aureas?

Staphylococcus aureus is a group of bacteria that live on the surface of people’s skin and inside the nose. It is normally harmless: most people who are carrying it are totally unaware that they have it.

This group of bacteria can be spread quite easily from person to person through contact.

Problems occur if Staphyloccocus aureus bacteria are able to enter the body through a cut or wound.

How is MRSA treated?

Because MRSA is resistant to a number of different antibiotics, it is harder to treat than nonresistant bacteria.

However, MRSA is not resistant to every antibiotic and most strains of MRSA can still be treated with vancomycin, teicoplanin and mupirocin.

For people with weakened immune systems who have become infected with MRSA, the best treatments are with the antibiotics vancomycin or teicoplanin. These two antibiotics are given as injections or through an intravenous drip and so are only given to people in hospital.

The main points

  • Tonga’s Health Ministry has expressed its concern after the death of a 12 year-old boy from Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
  • ‘Atunaisa Wilson Mataongo, from Vava’u, died on June 30 after he was infected with MRSA.
  • Health Director Dr. Siale Akauola said MRSA infections were rare in Tonga.
  • ‘Akau’ola told Kaniva News the Ministry was concerned about the existence of the bacteria in the Tongan community.

For more information

MRSA (Mayo Clinic)

Miss Heilala 2016 has been crowned

By
Kalino Latu
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Rapturous applause filled the Queen Salote Memorial Hall as this year’s Miss Heilala took her first walk as beauty pageant winner.

Laura Lauti, Miss Loumalie Lodge, 20, was crowned Miss Heilala 2016 by former winner Brittne Mahealani Tupouvakataupule Fuimaono in front of a packed audience in Nuku’alofa on Saturday night.

Her triumph as Tonga’s pageant winner has secured her a place to run for the ultimate beauty crown of Miss South Pacific peagent in Samoa in December.

The first runner up was Miss Bou’s Fashion, Vika Toetu’u from Utah, USA.

Miss Five Star Finances ‘Ofa Hui became the second runner up and the Miss Popularity was awarded to Miss Tongatapu 2, Sosefina Fatai Leger.

Laura won the talent, island creation and tau’olunga competitions as well as winning the best tau’olunga costume.

She was born and raised in Oakland, California. Her connection to Tonga comes from her family links in Tatakamotonga,  Pangaimotu, Ha’afeva,  Pangai and Ha’ano in Ha’apai.

LIVESTREAM: Pōhiva Kakala, Beautiful Tonga Heilala Festival 2016

By
Kalino Latu
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Armed police called after man makes threat in Mangere in South Auckland

By
Alpha Latu
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Police have surrounded a south Auckland home after threats were received from a man holed up inside a house.

The street has been cordoned off and residents within 200m are being evacuated as a precautionary measure.

A person inside a residential property on Henwood St has made threats, via his healthcare providers, which has prompted Police to respond, a statement said.

Nearby Kingsford Primary School is in lockdown.

Any further information will be provided as it becomes available.

Tropic Twilight touches down in Tonga

By
Kalino Latu
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Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee and Foreign Minister Murray McCully today announced that this year’s Tropic Twilight Exercise will be conducted in Tonga’s Ha’apai group of islands.

“Tropic Twilight is an annual exercise in the Pacific which tests the readiness of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to work with the military and governments from around the region on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” Mr Brownlee says.

“The benefits of this training were seen earlier this year when a number of countries co-operated to support Fiji’s response to Cyclone Winston.”

The exercise will take place from 7 to 28 July and includes military representatives from China, United States and France, along with members of Tonga’s His Majesty’s Armed Forces and officials from the New Zealand and Tongan governments.

“Tropic Twilight allows NZDF to practice deploying in the Pacific, while also supporting a range of development activities funded through our aid programme,” Mr McCully says.

“It is an opportunity to support the development of infrastructure in some isolated parts of the Pacific and this year the focus is on improving water collection and storage in the Ha’apai group.”

The Ha’apai group is made up of 62 islands that are vulnerable to natural disasters and have limited drinking water supplies. This year Pangai town, Lotofoa village and Faleloa village will benefit from water storage improvements and a public toilet block will also be built. An environmental health team will also carry out a mosquito eradication programme aimed at reducing diseases such as dengue and zika.

Supreme Court orders return of NZ-bought tractor at centre of ownership dispute

By
Philip Cass
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The Supreme Court has ordered the return of a tractor that has been at the centre of a dispute involving a Catholic priest.

Lord Chief Justice Paulsen made the order after a trial in which he heard evidence concerning the purchase of a Massey Ferguson tractor  in New Zealand to help out the family of a Catholic priest in Tonga.

In his judgement, Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said the  Massey  Ferguson  265  tractor was bought  in New Zealand  in August 2013. It was paid for by Vilisoni Paul Hemaloto and sent to Tonga for Ma’asi Tauelangi to cultivate  his  land.

In  February 2015 Vilisoni asked to use the  tractor. Ma’asi gave him permission to do so but since  then Vilisoni has refused to return the tractor and has registered it in his own name.

The decision about who owned the tractor turned on whether it was given as a gift with no strings attached, or whether it had been given conditionally.

Ma’asi claimed that the tractor was a gift and sought the return of  the tractor and a direction that it be registered in his name and court costs awarded to him.

Vilisoni denied that the tractor was a gift.  While it was bought for Ma’asi, he claimed they had agreed that  Ma’asi would send him containers of food to reimburse him for the purchase price.

He said he had kept the tractor because the containers of food were  never sent. Vilisoni filed a counterclaim seeking a declaration that he owned the tractor.

At the time the tractor was bought, Vilisoni and his wife, Malia Hemaloto were living in New Zealand. They returned to Tonga in in 2015  and were members of Fr ‘Ofa  Tauelangi  Tauelangi’s congregation.

At some stage, Vilisoni and  Malia  became  aware  that  Fr  Tauelangi’s family in Tonga needed financial  assistance  and  expressed  their  general willingness  to  help the priest  and  his family, Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said.

On or about July 24, 2013, Ma’asi travelled from Tonga to New Zealand to buy a tractor and take it back to Tonga. He told the court he had previously discussed this with his brother as a way to generate food and an income for his family in Tonga. He had no money for a tractor and was entirely dependent on Fr Tauelangi to buy the machine.

Fr  Tauelangi told Vilisoni his brother was a hard worker and  needed a tractor to grow  crops  to feed  his family  and sell the surplus in Tonga.

An initial plan to buy a Leyland tractor from Trademe came to nothing.

Vilisoni  told the court that  he, Fr Tauelangi  and  Ma’asi agreed  that  he would  buy a tractor  for  Ma’asi  in return for the shipment  of  containers  of crops back  to  Vilisoni  in  New  Zealand  in  late  2014.

“It is not clear how many containers were to be sent to Vilisoni, who seemed to believe that there would be one or  two  containers which he would sell, keeping enough of the proceeds to reimburse himself for the purchase price of  the tractor and send the remaining funds back to Fr  Tauelangi’s  family,” the judge said.

Both Ma’asi and Tauelangi denied  there had been any discussion or agreement regarding containers of crops.

On August 30, 2013, Vilisoni , Ma’asi and Fr Tauelangi went to the Tractor Centre at Pukekohe where they found the Massey Ferguson tractor. Vilisoni paid NZ$15,000 for the machine and new tyres for NZ$1,350.

The tractor  was  sent  to Tonga  in a  container provided by Maika Haupeakui, an uncle of Ma’asi and Father Tauelangi, which arrived   in   Nuku’alofa   on   November 4,   2013.

Vilisoni said he returned to Tonga several times between November 2013 and his relocation to Tonga in 2015. He told the court that each time he visited Ma’asi and saw the tractor had been used only to transport material to Ma’asi’s property,but had not been used to cultivate any land or grow crops.

When he asked Ma’asi about this, Ma’asi responded that he did not have the necessary ploughing equipment to use the tractor to cultivate land. Vilisoni claimed that on one of these occasions he asked Ma’asi about the containers of crops and when he would receive them. In response, Ma’asi asked for more money so he could clear trees on  his property.

In  early  2015,  Vilisoni   and  Malia  relocated  to  Ma’ufanga. On  or about  February  16, 2015, Vilisoni  went  to  Ma’asi’s  house to ask  if  he  could  borrow  the  tractor  to mow lawns  on  the property  of  the  Noble  Fakafanua.   Vilisoni  did not return the tractor and  registered it in his name. Ma’asi  said  Vilisoni ignored  his repeated  requests for the  return the machine.

During the trial, Vilisoni told the court that after he took hold of the tractor he bought ploughing equipment. He had been able to cultivate 40 acres and grow enough cassava to send a container to Australia and sell food at a market in Tonga  each day. He employed three workers and paid them with the income generated by the use of the  tractor.

In his summing up, Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said:

“Of particular importance is Vilisoni’s evidence  that  if  he  had  not received the containers of food, but had seen  that  the  tractor  was being used as he had imagined,  he would  not have taken the  action he did.

“This  statement  accords  with  my  overall  impression  of Vilisoni and assessment of his motivation for purchasing the tractor.

“Vilisoni sought to assist Fr Tauelangi and understood that purchasing   a   tractor   for   his  brother   would   relieve   many   of the pressures placed on him by his family in Tonga. The receipt of containers of food grown using the tractor was not a condition of that.”

As a result, he found that the tractor had been gifted by Vilisoni  to Ma’asi.

He ordered Vilisoni  to  return  the  tractor  to  Ma’asi  within 14  days and to  provide  for  a  transfer  or  registration  of  ownership  of the tractor  in Ma’asi’s  name.

The main points

  • The Supreme Court has ordered the return of a tractor that has been at the centre of a dispute involving a Catholic priest.
  • Lord Chief Justice Paulsen made the order after a trial in which he heard evidence concerning the purchase of a Massey Ferguson tractor in New Zealand to help out the family of a Catholic priest in Tonga.
  • The decision about who owned the tractor turned on whether it was given as a gift with no strings attached, or whether it had been given conditionally.
  • The judge ordered the tractor be returned within 14 days.

Miss Heilala Pageant 2016 interview

By
Kalino Latu
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ʻĀhau victims named, speed, alcohol blamed for crash that killed three

By
Kalino Latu
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The three people killed in a weekend horror smash at Āhau have been named by police today.

Scott ‘Ungoʻunga, 29, of Kanokupolu, who was the driver, Kalolaine Quick, 43, of Kanokupolu and Lower Leaving Ma’u, 23, of Haveluloto were killed when the van they were travelling in swerved and hit a large ‘toa’ tree on the left side of the Hihifo road on July 3.

The fourth passenger Vai ‘Ungoʻunga from Kanokupolu received critical injuries and is currently at Vaiola Hospital, Nukunuku Police District Commander Chief Inspector Sofilisi  said.

Scott was an off duty Police officer at the time of the tragedy.

“The group was travelling home from Nukuʻalofa”, Sofilisi said.

“Police have confirmed that alcohol and speeding were contributing factors to the crash”.

“We extend our sympathy to the families of those involved and our thoughts are with their loved ones at this tragic time,” says Commissioner of Police Stephen Caldwell.

“Crashes like this are preventable and we all need to do our part to reduce deaths and injuries on our roads.”

Paul Quinn
The three were killed when their car they were travelling veered of the road and crashed into a toa tree. Photo / supplied

TCC pays government $1.2 million dividend

By
Kalino Latu
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Tonga Telecommunication Commission has paid the government its dividend for the last financial year 2014-15.

“This is the second consecutive year that they are paying a dividend in excess of TOP 1.0 million, and growing rapidly year on year over the last 05 years”, a statement from TCC says.

The amount declared was TOP$1.5 Million and there were setoffs for pensioners salaries paid to Tonga Telecommunications Commission resulting in the net payment of TOP$ 1.2 M.

The profit of TOP 2.2 M achieved in the last Financial Year, this was after write-off of TOP 1.6 M worth of redundant legacy network equipment.

TCC also contribute substantially towards the government revenue as one of the largest taxpayers, paying over TOP 4 M direct and indirect taxes and levies per annum.

TCC will be investing TOP 4.0 million this year towards the network expansion as they have already invested over $30 million in their network infrastructure in the last few years.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Public Enterprises thanked the TCC Board, Management, and all staff for the dividend payment, and he elaborated the government is pleased to receive the dividend and are able to contribute towards the development of the Kingdom.

Mailangi Vea’s body laid to rest

By
Kalino Latu
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Hundreds of kāinga and family gathered at the Kalevalio cemetery in Fungamisi, Neiafu as the fata of Mailangi Vea who died while on a business mission to the island of Late, was carried to his  final resting place yesterday July 4.

His body was recovered by the Search and Recovery team at approximately 3:00 pm Sunday 3, a Police statement said.

“An inquest held on Monday 4th July determined that Mr. Vea died from drowning”, it said.

The burial ceremony proceeded immediately after the Digicel helicopter landed with the body in Neiafu, Vavaʻu, Vavaʻu Police Superindentend, Netane Falakiseni said.

The ceremony, which was led by Fr Lolesia Lākai and the Catholic congregation,  was conducted after several attempts to return Vea’s body on Sunday were unsuccessful due to bad weather.

“Mr. Vea was hired by Digicel Tonga to bring back 8 of their people to Neiafu who were working at Late Island for approximately 3 weeks”, a statement said.

The Fungamisi man was swept away by waves when the dinghy he was in capsized at approximately 2:30 pm July 2, 2016, it said.

A Police patrol boat and another boat belonging to the Beluga, a local company assisted in the recovery operation.

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