Influenza A H1N1 update

16 June 2009

Influenza A H1N1 update

There have been eight more confirmed cases of Influenza A (H1N1) in Canterbury today bringing the total in the region to 39. Staff in Canterbury District Health Board’s Community and Public Health division are working to identify contacts of the cases.

“All of today’s and yesterday’s cases have stemmed from a single case who had been in Victoria, Australia in early June,” Canterbury Medical Officer of Health Alistair Humphrey said.

Yesterday’s cases included six pupils from three schools in Christchurch’s eastern suburbs. Four of the pupils were at Bromley School and a number of other children were unwell with flu- like symptoms at the school. “Taking into account both of these factors, we recommended that the school be closed for seven days to prevent the infection spreading,” Dr Humphrey said.

Bromley School Principal Scot Kinley said he was advised to close the school by Canterbury District Health Board’s Community and Public Health Team and it was clear to him that it was the best thing to do to prevent the illness spreading.

Teachers last night set to work trying to contact all families before children arrived at school this morning. “We have apologised for the disruption to family life but it something we had to do to prevent the spread amongst families and the rest of the community,” Mr Kinley said.

Linwood College and Linwood Intermediate each have one pupil that has been confirmed as having Influenza A (H1N1). Contacts of these pupils are being traced and will be treated with Tamiflu and asked to stay in isolation at home for three days. The number of pupils and teachers affected is as yet unknown.

Two employees from different Canterbury workplaces were also confirmed as having Influenza A (H1N1) yesterday. Contacts of each of these people are still being traced.

Sea Products Ltd General Manager Mark Skevington said he was doing everything to comply with what he has been asked to do by Community and Public Health, following the second member of his staff being confirmed as having Influenza A (H1N1). He said he had also alerted other companies to the risk of people going to work unwell. “For small businesses, producing perishable products, the implications of having to shut down for a few days could be very serious.”

The flu has meant reduced production at the Sea Products factory this week but the company will be at back at full strength by the end of the week, he said.

A Minister in the Samoan Methodist Church and an employee of Christchurch Hospital’s catering team were also confirmed yesterday as having Influenza A (H1N1). “Contacts of the Minister are being traced but the catering team member had not been to work during the infectious stage of the illness,” Dr Humphrey said.

Yesterday, there were also three more confirmed cases amongst family members who had been isolated with confirmed cases of Influenza A (H1N1). “Everyone has co-operated fully with the Community and Public Health team in their work. This is a highly contagious disease and once someone who is infected is amongst other members of the community, including students and workmates, it is inevitable others will get sick,” he said.

Anyone who has been overseas in the last four days and is unwell with flu-like symptoms should call Healthline on 0800 611 116 or phone a GP. If anyone knows they are a contact of a person confirmed as having Influenza A (H1N1) and have not been spoken to by health authorities, they should also call healthline or a GP.

The symptoms of the new influenza A (H1N1) virus are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people who have been infected with this virus have also reported diarrhoea and vomiting. Also, like seasonal flu, in rare instances overseas severe illness and death have occurred. The World Health Organisation says you will not be able to tell the difference between seasonal flu and non-seasonal influenza A (H1N1) without medical help.

For further information about influenza in Canterbury see the website www.fluinfo.org.nz

ENDS

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