Swine influenza response in Otago and Southland

Swine Influenza 28 April
Media Release

We have contacted all the people from Otago and Southland who we know were on Flight NZ1 and none of them are ill.

That is a total of 23 people. As a precaution, they have all been asked to go into voluntary quarantine and have been offered the antiviral medication Tamiflu.

As every day passes, the risk of those people falling ill decreases, Otago and Southland Medical Officer of Health Dr Marion Poore says.

We will have two nurses at Dunedin International Airport to meet the international flight from Brisbane about 2.50pm today, to support border staff.

We will also have a nurse presence for the other flight arriving in Dunedin from Brisbane on Saturday and for the three international flights expected from Sydney at Queenstown Airport.

At this stage, we are not expecting any ships to arrive at Bluff or Port Chalmers after being in the affected areas in Mexico and the United States at the relevant time.

We would like to remind people that anyone with concerns about swine flu should not just turn up at hospitals or medical centres. They should phone them to discuss their situation first or phone the free national Healthline on 0800 611 116.

Symptoms of influenza usually include: • Sudden onset of illness • Fever higher than 38 degrees Celsius • Coughing and sneezing • Aches and pains • Headaches • Vomiting and diarrhoea The most important steps we can all take to prevent or reduce the spread of disease in our community are: • Wash hands with soap and water and dry them well. This is especially important after going to the toilet and before preparing/eating food.

• Cover sneezes and coughs with a tissue, and throw it in a bin. Wash hands.

• Cough or sneeze into your elbow, NOT your hands.

• Sick staff or students should stay at home, until they are well.

• If a person in your home is sick, try to keep a distance of one metre, and avoid sharing utensils, cups etc.

Full Release With Hand Washing Diagrams and Q And A (pdf)

ENDS

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