Doctor visits for flu triple 2008's figures

Elective surgeries will be cancelled as hospital beds fill up, says the Ministry of Health. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

Three times as many people are visiting the doctor with influenza symptoms compared with this time last year, as swine flu puts increasing pressure on the public health system.

Two more people - both with underlying health problems - have died from swine flu, bringing the New Zealand death toll to nine.

Health Minister Tony Ryall warned that elective surgery at public hospitals would be cancelled as beds filled up with greater-than-usual numbers of flu patients.

People often waited longer for elective surgery in winter, he said, but this year would be worse than usual.

Health Ministry figures showed 113 people were in hospital with swine flu or its complications yesterday, 23 of those in intensive care.

Some 2659 people were admitted to hospital with ordinary flu between April 2008 and the end of June 2008. More recent figures are not yet available.

The number of people consulting their doctors about flu-like illnesses each week has risen to about 180 per 100,000 patients, compared with about 60 this time last year. The highest number of consultations were for children.

Auckland GP and director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre Dr Nikki Turner said the spike in GP visits was not a result of more visits from people with mild flu. Doctors were seeing an "enormous" number of patients with flu, she said, and most were suspected swine flu cases.

A report from Auckland GPs shows the spike in doctor's visits is even sharper in Auckland, where consultations have risen from about 50 flu cases per 100,000 patients this time last year to about 240. Most patients seeing the doctor about flu in Auckland were under 35.

The biggest spikes were in the west and south of the city. In north Auckland, GP visits for flu were almost unchanged.

Dr Turner said GPs were coping but "everyone is extremely busy".

Auckland hospitals were asking emergency department patients to limit themselves to just one support person, in-patients to have no more than two visitors, and unwell visitors to stay away, said a spokeswoman for Counties Manukau District Health Board.

The total number of confirmed cases of swine flu rose to 1984 yesterday, up from 1779 on Monday.