Update 88 - Influenza A (H1N1) Swine Flu

Media Release
1:30pm, Saturday 27 June 2009

Update 88 - Influenza A (H1N1) Swine Flu

With winter well underway, seasonal flu and colds have become fairly common once again. It is easy to confuse winter flu with a common cold because they both make people feel generally unwell.

The common cold is a mild viral infection of the nose and throat. Its symptoms can include sneezing, sniffing, a blocked or runny nose, a scratchy sore throat, coughing and a headache.

Seasonal flu is an acute viral infection caused by an influenza virus. Flu symptoms can include a sudden onset of high fever (above 38.3C), chills, cough (usually dry), headache, muscle and joint pain, fatigue, sore throat and runny nose.

Both colds and flu last for about five or six days and are transmitted through coughing, sneezing and by touching your nose, eyes or mouth after you have touched something contaminated by the virus.

Taking plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids (water and fresh fruit juice) will help treat colds and flu. Some over-the-counter remedies may also help ease the symptoms, including paracetamol for fever and pain.

The vast majority of people with flu recover within a week without requiring hospitalisation or medical attention. However, flu can cause severe illness or death in people at high risk of developing complications. These high-risk groups include children younger than two, adults aged 65 or older, and people of any age with certain medical conditions such as chronic heart disease, chronic respiratory conditions (including asthma), diabetes or weakened immune systems.

People should not hesitate to seek medical advice if they are in a high-risk group, or if they are getting sicker. Phone Healthline (0800 611 116) or your healthcare provider for health advice. Things to watch out for are:

· if you’ve been unwell for three or four days and are not getting any better or are feeling worse
· a high temperature (above 38.3C) that is not responding to attempts to reduce it
· difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
· pain or pressure in the chest or stomach
· if you cough up bloody or green phlegm
· blue skin around the lips and/or blue skin on fingertips
· severe pain in the ear(s)
· severe vomiting
· difficulty waking up or feeling disoriented or confused
· fits or uncontrolled shaking
· if you started to feel better but then get a high fever and start to feel unwell again
· inability to keep fluids down
· other signs of becoming more sick such as children becoming more irritable and not eating and drinking
General information on the signs and symptoms of influenza, and advice on how to care for yourself and others at home are available on the following links. This includes specific information for those caring for babies and young children:

http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/influenza-a-h1n1-care-advice
http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/influenza-a-h1n1-care-protect
http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/influenza-a-h1n1-care-you
http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/influenza-a-h1n1-care-others
http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/indexmh/influenza-a-h1n1-care-others#children
Latest numbers
The cumulative total of confirmed cases in New Zealand is 507, up 54 from 453 yesterday. The number of probable cases is 49, down from 50 yesterday. The number of current active cases reported in the past seven days is 268, up 25 from 243 yesterday.

The cumulative total of confirmed cases by region are:
Northland (5); Auckland (140); Waikato (21); Bay of Plenty/Lakes (20); Gisborne (1); Hawkes Bay (6); Taranaki (1); Wanganui/Palmerston North (6); Wellington (173); Nelson/Marlborough (6); Canterbury (128) and Otago/Southland (0).
National Non-Seasonal Novel Influenza A(H1N1) case and contact numbers for New Zealand

As at 1200hrs 27 June 2009 Confirmed Probable Number of confirmed H1N1 cases reported in past 7 days*
Northland 5 5 4
Auckland 140 11 68
Waikato 21 3 15
Bay of Plenty/Lakes 20 19 15
Tairawhiti DHB 1 0 1
Hawkes Bay 6 1 4
Taranaki 1 0 1
Wanganui/Palmerston North 6 0 5
Wellington 173 1 88
Nelson Marlborough 6 3 5
Canterbury 128 5 62
Otago/Southland 0 1 0
Total 507 49 268

Notes:

· Confirmed cases refer only to those that have been laboratory confirmed and are therefore an underestimate of the total number of cases.

· Data are sourced from EpiSurv.

· *Number includes all cases confirmed for ≤7 days from report date

International Update from the World Health Organization
The World Health Organization declared a global pandemic of the novel Influenza A (H1N1) virus on 11 June 2009. At this time, WHO considers the overall severity of the influenza pandemic to be moderate. The assessment reflects the fact that most people recover from infection without the need for hospitalisation or medical care.

As at 7:00 GMT on 26 June, 105 countries reported 59,814 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection, including 263 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_06_26/en/index.html)
As at 6am AEST on 27 June, Australia has reported 3519 confirmed cases of Influenza A (H1N1) influenza, including 1560 cases in Victoria. Four people in Australia have died after contracting the novel Influenza A (H1N1) virus.

Regular updates on the Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic are available on the WHO website (http://www.who.int).

Unless otherwise specified, this information can be attributed to Dr Darren Hunt, Deputy Director of Public Health.

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

For latest updates on Influenza A (H1N1) Swine Flu, visit www.moh.govt.nz
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/minhealthnz
For media queries related to this update, please call the National Health Coordination Centre, Communications Desk at +64 (04) 816 3660 or +64 (021) 243 6805

ENDS

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