Pharmacy OTC sales could play role in reacting to outbreaks

During the campylobacter outbreak in Havelock North in August last year, pharmacists rapidly sold out of rehydration products. Had there been a system in place to monitor this, Hawke's Bay District Council might have been able to respond to the outbreak quicker. Pharmacy OTC sales are one of a number of indicators the Ministry of Health is looking at monitoring to be able to better respond to outbreaks. Nerine Zoio reports