Swine Flu reaches Wellington (unconfirmed)

AS most of the newspapers around the globe are reporting on the trail of swine flu from its Mexican origins (allegedly), so the Kiwi papers are watching the virus arrive on NZ1 (from LA to Auckland) and continue its journey through the country.

It seems that school trips are to blame. The virus arrived first in Auckland with a party of students coming home from Mexico.

"Fourteen cases of influenza A have now been confirmed in the Auckland region, with three of those infected testing positive for the swine flu strain of the virus. Twelve of the influenza A cases are from a 25-person Rangitoto College group which returned from Mexico on Saturday," reports the New Zealand Herald.

The Dom Post completes the assessment with, "There were no other probable cases outside Auckland as yet but 31 people around the country had been tested for Influenza A and were suspected of possibly having the illness. They include 10 people in Nelson, eight in Christchurch, four in Wellington/Hutt Valley, two in Taranaki, five in Waikato and another five in Auckland.At least 179 people are in isolation nationwide, including 36 in Wellington and 37 in Christchurch."

Meanwhile patients with flu symptoms or who have traveled to Mexico within the last seven days are advised to call the government health line (0800 611 116) and put themselves in quarantine.

Comments

[Nigel]

I read that the number had dropped to 13. From tvnz.co.nz:

"There are 13 confirmed cases of swine flu in New Zealand, all in the Auckland area.

That is a decrease of one on Wednesday as one recent arrival in Auckland had come from Samoa and not from Los Angeles as first thought."

Makes you wonder about the testing...

[William Knight]

the newspapers are all over the place with this. Sometimes it's 12 or 13 but then it's only 3 or 4. I think it's 13 confirmed Influenza A virus then 3 definite swine H1N1.

[William Knight]

In fact, the front page of the Dom compares 2 kiwi cases and in one of the case the young lad is said to have been confirmed in paragraph 1 then awaiting results in paragraph 4.

some testing, some reporting.