Sunday, June 7, 2009

New Zealand records 14th swine flu case

06/07/2009 | 05:01 PM

WELLINGTON, New ZealandNew Zealand confirmed its 14th case of swine flu Sunday. All of the country's cases so far have been contracted overseas.

The new case was a 46-year-old man who flew from North America a week ago and became ill two days later. He was placed in isolation and treated with the antiviral drug Tamiflu, said deputy director of public health, Dr. Fran McGrath.

New Zealand, the first Asia-Pacific nation with confirmed swine flu infections, so far has prevented the illness from spreading domestically.

"Our priority is to limit the spread of the virus by identifying people who are sick at the border and treating them," McGrath said in a statement.

Medical teams posted at international airports assess travelers, and isolation has been imposed on all those suspected of having swine flu.

McGrath has warned that the sudden rise of swine flu in neighboring Australia – which has reported over 1,000 cases – would make it hard to keep swine flu from spreading in New Zealand.

The World Health Organization says 69 countries have reported nearly 22,000 cases of swine flu, including at least 126 deaths. - AP


From GMANews.tv; see the source article here.

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