Influenza A (H1N1) Swine Flu - Update Ninety-two | infonews.co.nz New Zealand News

Whilst the majority of people who contract swine flu this winter will be able to care for themselves at home, there are some people, with underlying health conditions who may fall acutely unwell with the illness.

Deputy Director of Public Health Dr Fran McGrath says, "Looking at overseas experience, there have also been cases reported where people who have been fit and healthy have contracted the virus and became very unwell. However, the majority of people who contract swine flu will be able to look after themselves.

"Those people who have symptoms which worsen, or those who are more at risk (including pregnant women, people with respiratory disease, heart disease, liver disease or blood disorders), should phone Healthline on 0800 611 116 or phone their GP."

"We are now seeing an increased demand on some of our vital health services, given the rising number of cases of influenza this winter. There is an increased number of people visiting their primary care provider with influenza-like illnesses and Healthline has reported a higher number of calls."

Fran McGrath says we keep talking about the importance of protecting yourself and others from influenza and there really are some simple things people can do to look after themselves this winter. These include:

Washing and drying hands thoroughly
Covering coughs and sneezes with a tissue and then putting used tissues into a rubbish bin
Staying at home if you're unwell.

Latest numbers

The cumulative total of confirmed cases in New Zealand is 711, up 58 from 653 yesterday. The number of probable cases is 51, down from 52 yesterday. The number of current active cases reported in the past seven days is 326, up from 291 yesterday.

The cumulative total of confirmed cases by region are:

Northland (13), Auckland (187), Waikato (25), Bay of Plenty/Lakes (25), Gisborne (1), Hawkes Bay (25), Taranaki (2), Wanganui/Palmerston North (7), Wellington (226), Nelson/Marlborough (9), Canterbury (188), Otago/Southland (3).

International Update from the World Health Organization

WHO figures were last updated on 29 June 2009 at 09:00 GMT, where 109 countries reported 70, 893 cases of Novel Influenza A (H1N1) 09 infection, including 311 deaths.

The breakdown of the number of laboratory-confirmed cases by country is given in the following table:

http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_06_29/en/index.html

ENDS
For health information and advice: the public should call Healthline 0800 611 116.

For latest updates on Influenza A (H1N1) Swine Flu: visit http://www.moh.govt.nz