National Hauora Coalition and Counties Manukau Health now addressing impacts from misinformation about throat swabs in schools

The National Hauora Coalition (NHC) and Counties Manukau Health raised concerns last week (25 February) about misinformation spreading across social media about COVID-19 testing in schools.

That misinformation implied that schools were testing children for COVID-19 without parental consent and then removing children from school who tested positive without notification.

This did not occur.

NHC and Counties Manukau Health are now actively addressing the impact of that misinformation particularly on their Mana Kidz programme. This programme provides a comprehensive school based health service including rheumatic fever prevention, for 34,000 children every day.

Both organisations are seriously concerned about the impact of this misinformation on the Mana Kidz programme and more widely on other important health programmes.

In addition, details of staff working in the Mana Kidz programme are being published on social media platforms and staff have received abusive phone calls and messages from members of the public who are not parents.

NHC and Counties Manukau Health have spent significant time reassuring schools and whānau, taking time away from providing essential services to tamariki and whānau.

It is important that we hear and respond to concerns parents might have. NHC have been supporting the schools in doing that by sharing factual information with all parents and contacting every single parent who has expressed concerns.

Health programmes such as Mana Kidz have been put in place to support our communities. The impacts of rheumatic fever on our people are significant and long lasting.

In New Zealand it has been estimated that ~160 people will die prematurely from rheumatic heart disease each year.

Misinformation impacts are also significant and long lasting, interfering with the trust we have built
up in our communities over many years.

We urge whānau who have further questions or concerns to continue using trusted information
sources such as Counties Manukau Health or Mana Kidz via their Facebook page.