06/05/2009 | 08:16 PM
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – New Zealand recorded two more cases of swine flu Friday as health officials expressed concern over the rapid spread of the illness in neighboring Australia, a source of many tourists.
The number of confirmed cases in New Zealand since late April is now 13, said Dr. Fran McGrath, deputy director of public health.
One new case was a baby who tested positive for swine flu after returning from the Australian city of Melbourne, while the other was a passenger on a flight that arrived from North America on Saturday, she said.
Seven staff and 37 children at a child care center the baby attended in the northern city of Auckland have been asked to stay in isolation and were offered the antiviral drug Tamiflu, McGrath said. The center will stay closed until Monday, when a decision will be made on whether it will reopen.
Australian health authorities said Friday they have 878 confirmed cases of swine flu – up from 634 cases 24 hours earlier.
"We are watching with concern the rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases in Australia," McGrath said in a statement.
The sudden rise in Australia will make it hard to keep swine flu from spreading further in New Zealand with many tourists coming to the country, McGrath said.
New Zealand, the first Asia-Pacific nation with confirmed swine flu infections – all people who contracted it overseas – so far has prevented the illness from spreading.
Medical teams have been posted at international airports to assess travelers, and isolation has been imposed on all those suspected of having swine flu.
The World Health Organization says 66 countries have reported nearly 20,000 cases of swine flu, including at least 117 deaths. – AP
From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand – New Zealand recorded two more cases of swine flu Friday as health officials expressed concern over the rapid spread of the illness in neighboring Australia, a source of many tourists.
The number of confirmed cases in New Zealand since late April is now 13, said Dr. Fran McGrath, deputy director of public health.
One new case was a baby who tested positive for swine flu after returning from the Australian city of Melbourne, while the other was a passenger on a flight that arrived from North America on Saturday, she said.
Seven staff and 37 children at a child care center the baby attended in the northern city of Auckland have been asked to stay in isolation and were offered the antiviral drug Tamiflu, McGrath said. The center will stay closed until Monday, when a decision will be made on whether it will reopen.
Australian health authorities said Friday they have 878 confirmed cases of swine flu – up from 634 cases 24 hours earlier.
"We are watching with concern the rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases in Australia," McGrath said in a statement.
The sudden rise in Australia will make it hard to keep swine flu from spreading further in New Zealand with many tourists coming to the country, McGrath said.
New Zealand, the first Asia-Pacific nation with confirmed swine flu infections – all people who contracted it overseas – so far has prevented the illness from spreading.
Medical teams have been posted at international airports to assess travelers, and isolation has been imposed on all those suspected of having swine flu.
The World Health Organization says 66 countries have reported nearly 20,000 cases of swine flu, including at least 117 deaths. – AP
From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.
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