Influenza A (H1N1) Swine Flu - Update Sixty-four

New Zealand situation

The cumulative total of confirmed cases in New Zealand is now 17, up from 14 yesterday.

One of the three new confirmed cases is the seven-year-old son of the first Canterbury case, who was a passenger off Air NZ flight NZ5 which arrived from Los Angeles on 31 May 2009. The boy only has mild symptoms of influenza. The family had been in isolation at home after the boy’s father was suspected of having Influenza A (H1N1) and being treated with Tamiflu. The boy’s father is recovering well and his time in quarantine has ended.

The second new confirmed case is a passenger also off flight NZ5 which arrived from Los Angeles on 31 May 2009. The close contacts of this passenger have been followed up and were swabbed, if sick, and all results were negative. Both of the May 31 NZ5 cases are believed to have been separately exposed during their travels.

The third case is a passenger off Air NZ flight NZ124 which arrived from Melbourne on 5 June 2009. The family, close contacts and passengers sitting in the two rows in front of and the two rows behind the case as well as the row the case was sitting in are being contacted. The case is in isolation at home and is being treated with Tamiflu.

The cumulative total of probable cases is 10.

There are currently 103 suspected cases, up from 92 yesterday. The numbers of suspected cases fluctuate as more people with symptoms arriving from affected areas are assessed (treated and isolated), and as laboratory testing rules out some suspected cases.

There are 92 people in isolation or quarantine and being treated with Tamiflu. This is up from 66 on Friday, 5 June, when the last update on this figure was provided. The numbers of people in isolation vary according to when they complete 72 hours of the five-day course of Tamiflu.

Papatoetoe Child Care Centre

Children and staff at Tama Ale Eleele A’oga Amata will complete the five-day quarantine period this week. Public health authorities are working with the Centre’s management to arrange the reopening of the early childhood centre on Thursday, 11 June, if there are no other cases. The Medical Officer of Health, Dr Richard Hoskins, lauded the Centre’s management and staff for their full support and cooperation.

All test results received for the child care centre have been negative apart from the first case confirmed for Influenza A (H1N1) on Friday. The child had travelled back to New Zealand from Australia on 26 May 2009.

How to protect yourself and others

Anyone who has recently travelled overseas and is ill with influenza symptoms is advised to phone their GP or Healthline (0800 611 116) for medical advice.

Do not turn up at a hospital or medical centre before doing this as you can spread germs to other people.

Signs and symptoms of influenza include fever, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people also experience diarrhea and vomiting.

Hand hygiene is still the single most effective measure in protecting yourself. Wash your hands with soap and water and dry them thoroughly.

Alcohol-based cleaners are also effective. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth as germs spread this way.

Practise good cough and sneeze etiquette. This means covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, and disposing of the tissue in a lined rubbish bin with a lid or plastic bag.

Sick people should stay home until they are well, rather than going to school or work. Try to avoid contact with sick people and reduce time spent in crowded settings. If you become sick, stay home for seven days after your symptoms begin or until you have been symptom-free for 24 hours, whichever is longer. This is to keep you from infecting others.

International Update from the World Health Organization

As of 06:00 GMT, 5 June 2009, 69 countries have officially reported 21,940 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection, including 125 deaths.

Australia has so far reported 1051 cases of Influenza A (H1N1) infection.

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table and mapnumber of laboratory confirmed cases and deaths [png 186kb]
Updates on the Influenza A (H1N1) outbreak are available on the WHO website on a regular basis (http://www.who.int).

This information can be attributed to Dr Mark Jacobs, Director of Public Health.