Australia cases lift NZ risk

Swine flu does not appear to be spreading in New Zealand, but as the number of cases increases in Australia it will be increasingly difficult to keep out, says the Ministry of Health.

There are no new cases of Influenza A (H1N1) infection in New Zealand.

All nine people who had contracted the flu since the scare erupted late last month had fully recovered, the ministry said.

Yesterday, New Zealand had 30 suspected cases, up from 23 on Wednesday.

The number fluctuates as people with symptoms arrive from affected areas and are treated and isolated, and as laboratory testing rules out some suspected cases.

The ministry's director of public health, Mark Jacobs, said all New Zealand's cases had recently returned from travel in affected areas or were close contacts.

But as swine flu took hold in more countries, it would become increasingly difficult to keep it out of New Zealand.

Forty-eight countries have officially reported 13,398 cases of swine flu infection, and 95 people have died.

Australia has 147 confirmed cases and that number is expected to rise over the next few days.

Some schools have closed.

Dr Jacobs said he would write to schools here next week to advise them about the issue, and what it might mean for them when the infection started to spread in New Zealand.

- NZPA