Canterbury swine flu update 28/04/09

Canterbury swine flu update

Canterbury District Health Board’s Community and Public Health division has now been in contact with 42 people in Canterbury who were on the same flight as the Auckland students suspected of having swine flu.

Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Ramon Pink said, “Fourteen of these people were unwell with flu symptoms. They are having swabs to determine the nature of their illness and are being given Tamiflu.” All are mildly unwell.

Household contacts of these people will also be given Tamiflu to help prevent them from becoming ill.

At a Ministry of Health press conference this morning, it was said that 18 people have not been able to be contacted out of the 356 people that arrived on Flight NZ1 in Auckland at 5am, Saturday 25 April. If any of these people are in Canterbury and unwell, could they please phone their GP or CDHB’s Community and Public Health division on (03) 364 1777. If they are well they should phone Community and Public Health.

Everyone that was on the flight will receive a five day course of Tamiflu and is being asked to quarantine themselves at home. “The unwell passengers need to stay at home for seven days and those that are well will also need to stay at home for a couple of days,” Dr Pink said.

Calls have increased to Canterbury health services in the last few days, with most people heeding the message to phone their GP if they are unwell and have been in Mexico or North America in the last two weeks.

ENDS

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