Hospitals swamped

Hospitals are being swamped with people worried their flu-like symptoms might be meningitis.

At Christchurch Hospital, at least 20 people every eight hours were turning up thinking they had meningitis, professor of emergency medicine Mike Ardagh said.

Four people have died from meningitis in the past three weeks, and several others have contracted the disease.

He said people should see a GP before going to hospital.