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Swine Flu symptoms reported throughout New Zealand

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Mon, 27 Apr 2009 12:00a.m.

Swine Flu symptoms are now being reported throughout New Zealand from Auckland to Otago, and the Government says it is treating the scare as if it's the real thing.

3 News has been told that a number of Air New Zealand crew now have symptoms, and health officials have tracked down two thirds of the passengers on Saturday's NZ1 flight, which carried the students from Auckland's Rangitoto College who first showed symptoms.

While then ten confirmed Rangitoto cases are just Influenza A, whether they, or any other case, is more serious won't be known until swine flu tests in Melbourne have been completed.

Staff and students of Rangitoto College spoken to by 3 News say they are feeling a lot better than when they first arrived back from Mexico.

They're being treated with Tamiflu medication, and apart from the odd niggle with a sore throat or minor flu-like symptoms, everyone looks to be on the mend.

It seems the most concerning thing they say they are having to deal with is learning to deal with life confined to the four walls of home quarantine.

"We've been told to have good ventilation, which means we have to have the windows open, but otherwise we're not to see people and not to go outside," Rangitoto College teacher Charlotte Calvert told 3 News. "S ome families have told me that they're going to be shopping online for the next couple of days."

Ms Calvert may have to stay in quarantine for a week, or at least until tests clear her of swine flu.

She describes the whole experience as bizarre and says while the group knew about the flu strain in Mexico, they didn't feel it was any threat to them.

"We had people feeling unwell during the trip but we put that down to diarrhea and vomiting that people have when they're overseas," Ms Calvert says.

Today more students were pulled from the school because they played soccer on Saturday with a student who had been on the Mexico trip.

"There are five other boys who were in the same soccer team," Rangitoto College Principal David Hodge says. "We've taken their details, we've sent them home, asked them to stay at home and we'll be giving their details to the public health authorities."

And while it was school as normal for the rest of the Rangitoto students today, it was far for it for Mr Hodge.

"We've had calls from the States, I mean it's very strange for a school in New Zealand to headline CNN News, BBC, ABC, so there is a lot of interest out there," Mr Hodge says. "Obviously this is a worldwide health scare and we have unfortunately become the focus of that."

Meanwhile 14 students, two parents and two teachers from Auckland's Northcote College are undergoing tests, after returning from Mexico.

The group arrived back in New Zealand on Saturday morning on flight NZ5.

The tests were carried out after two students and one of the parents reported having a sore throat.

Results from their influenza test are expected later tonight.

3 News

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Comments [4]

Harika Hippolite
31 Jul 2009 11:57a.m.

Hey there i just want to know the death rates in New Zealand or worldwide if possible.

Thank you

Holly
28 Apr 2009 6:53p.m.

For this particular incarnation of swine flu to transfer to humans would have taken a fairly complicated series of events. A pig with swine flu would have had to come into contact with a human with “human” flu and then the two viruses would have had to hybridize in the pig. Eventually a new strain of flu would be created that could be caught by humans, and would perhaps be carried back to humans via flies.

http://guanabee.com/2009/04/where-did-swine-flu-come-from

Oliver
28 Apr 2009 6:48p.m.

This is man made! How can a flu from Europe and the bird flu from Asia all of a sudden end up in pigs in Mexico? Very shady indeed. This just doesn't happen overnight, and the World Health Organization would have been tracking all three influenza's. This is UN people reduction.

Firstly I would like to say that I needed to amend this for my own personal sanity. secondly the end of this statement doesn't make much sense, as 'UN people reduction' from what? a reduction from what?

Look to be honest when we all get hysterical over something not yet confirmed then all that will happen is the masses of ignorant people in this country will have some new information to tout as intellectual and informed, in all honest the media will blow this out of proportion without actually informing the public on how to handle the situation.

What I am quizzical about is how Rangitoto College got it so wrong? How does the administration and the traveling party go to a country so blindly without assessing the risks and making allowances for them productively and accurately?

Serious questions need to be asked over that I would have to think.


Glenn
27 Apr 2009 9:54p.m.

This is man made. How can a flue from Europe and the bird flue from Asia all of a suddon end up in pigs in Mexico. Very shadie indead. This just dosent happen overnight and the World Health organisation would have been tracking all three influenzas. This is UN people reduction.

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