Flu scare scuppers show

46 students and six teachers from Lindisfarne and Hastings Girls High, who returned from a music trip in the United States on Tuesday, are in isolation. Photo / Greg Bowker

A high school musical celebration - which up to 300 people were expected to attend tonight - has been cancelled because the students who were to perform are now all in quarantine.

The evening was to acknowledge the building of a $4.8 million music centre at Lindisfarne College in Hawkes Bay.

However, 46 students and six teachers from Lindisfarne and Hastings Girls High, who returned from a music trip in the United States on Tuesday, are in isolation.

They were screened for flu-like symptoms at Auckland Airport and one girl had a swab taken. She and three other students who displayed mild colds were asked to stay home.

Most of the 27 boys from Lindisfarne had returned to school on Thursday, but because the result was not known, public health authorities asked that everyone from the trip return home for the remainder of the week.

Two boarders stayed in the school's health centre.

College rector Grant Lander said although most of the students who had travelled to the United States had not displayed any flu-like symptoms, they had been asked to stay at home while they awaited the result of the swab taken at the airport.

Meanwhile, pharmacies up and down the country are becoming inundated with requests for the anti-viral drug Tamiflu, after it became available over the counter at a cost of between $60-$80.

Only people showing flu-like symptoms are able to buy Tamiflu, but it has not stopped people from trying. The Government yesterday ordered 125,000 doses of the alternative flu treatment, Relenza.

Up to 388 people have been quarantined and are being treated with Tamiflu.

Director of Public Health, Dr Mark Jacobs, last night released details that another passenger from flight NZ1 - which arrived in Auckland on Saturday morning - has been confirmed as having influenza A H1N1, swine flu.

The person - who was not a part of the Rangitoto College group - brings the number of confirmed cases to four, including the three students from Rangitoto College in Auckland.

Yesterday, Cabinet minister Nick Smith was cleared of swine flu, after testing positive to influenza A.

Two people who arrived on an earlier flight on Saturday - and have been treated as probable cases - have since been cleared of having influenza A.

One person has been added to the number of probable cases, taking it up to 12, while the number of suspected cases has risen to 116.

Health officials are tracing the work contacts of an Auckland man who tested positive to influenza A and had been infectious for seven days prior to being tested by his doctor.

The man arrived in Auckland on April 19 from the US and returned to work. He developed flu-like symptoms on April 22 but did not visit his doctor until April 28. His close contacts have already been quarantined.

But Dr Jacobs said as with any influenza, carriers were typically infectious for one day before developing symptoms and about a week after.

A team of Australian scientists has appropriated samples of swine flu taken from the Rangitoto College group, to help develop a vaccine.

Scientists at the World Health Organisation Influenza Centre in North Melbourne are injecting the virus taken from the New Zealanders into fertilised hens' eggs.

STATS

418 New Zealanders in isolation
136 suspected cases
12 probable cases
4 confirmed cases

- additional reporting: Jacqueline Smith, NZPA,