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

From today the Ministry of Health is providing a weekly snapshot that gives a fuller picture of the extent of this new influenza - numbers of people consulting GPs, and numbers admitted to hospital and in Intensive Care Units throughout the country.

This will provide a more accurate picture of the impact of influenza around the country and the impact on health services.

Deputy Director of Public Health Dr McGrath says this information reflects the variable spread of influenza around the country; the numbers of people in hospital vary from region to region depending on the number of cases in that community as well as clinical factors.

Dr McGrath says "There are still many things we don't know about this virus. What we do know is that people who have other significant health issues are more likely to be seriously affected by swine flu. However it is important to remember that overseas experience shows that some previously healthy people can also develop a serious illness."

Most people will experience a mild to moderate illness and will be able to care for themselves at home without needing medical treatment. However if symptoms become worse, seek medical advice by calling Healthline or your GP.

Latest Numbers
The cumulative total of confirmed cases in New Zealand is 1195 up from 1059 yesterday. It's important to note that the actual number of cases of the new influenza A (H1N1) will be significantly higher, as only a small proportion of people with symptoms are now being tested. This is because for most people it's a mild illness and they will recover readily at home without needing medical treatment.

The cumulative total of confirmed cases by region are:
Northland (31), Auckland (274), Waikato (54), Bay of Plenty/Lakes (32), Gisborne (3), Hawkes Bay (90), Taranaki (5), Wanganui/Palmerston North (26), Wellington (335), Nelson/Marlborough (24), Canterbury (301), Otago/Southland (20).

Probable cases are no longer being reported.

The number of deaths associated with influenza A (H1N1) is three.

Healthline calls
Healthline is answering more than 2000 calls a day, primarily from people with cold and flu symptoms. Healthline encourages people who are symptomatic to be patient and to keep holding if they call at a busy time. Healthline is being backed up by the Ministry's Wanganui call centre and additional nurses are being brought in to bolster the number of nurses available to take calls.

GP consultations
Weekly consultation rates for influenza-like illness in New Zealand continue to increase and are already considerably higher than the peaks during the last two years. This data from ESR's GP sentinel surveillance system shows that an increasing number of people are consulting with influenza type illnesses.

Numbers of people in hospitals with the new Influenza A (H1N1)
Today 53 people are reported to be in hospital with the new influenza A (H1N1) or its complications, and 12 of these people are in intensive care. The spread of these figures reflects the regional spread of the virus and clinical factors

The number of patients currently in intensive care is:
Auckland ( 2), Canterbury (1),Capital and Coast DHB ( 2), Counties Manukau DHB (4), Hawkes Bay (1), Hutt Valley DHB (1), Waitemata DHB (1).

Australian situation
As at noon on Sunday 5 July, Australia had 5298 confirmed cases. At that time the total number of Australian deaths associated with the new influenza A (H1N1) was 10.

International Update from the World Health Organization
WHO figures were last updated on 6 July 2009 at 09:00 GMT, where 94,512 cases of Novel Influenza A (H1N1) 09 infection have been reported internationally, including 429 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_07_06/en/index.html

Information in this update can be attributed to Dr Fran McGrath, Deputy Director of Health, Ministry of Health.

ENDS

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