Swine flu claims 3 Kiwis

Chief coroner Neil MacLean (pictured) says swine flu was the probable cause of the death of a 42-year-old Christchurch man. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Nineteen-year-old Zachary Wilson was the first New Zealander to die from swine flu.

The Hamilton teenager was one of three Kiwi patients whose deaths from the illness were revealed by health officials yesterday.

Wilson, who had a history of asthma, died at home last Sunday after three or four days of illness. He was not diagnosed with the H1N1 virus until an autopsy was performed.

On Thursday, an unnamed 42-year-old man died in Christchurch. Chief coroner Neil MacLean said it was "strongly probable" swine flu was a major factor.

Yesterday morning, a girl thought to be aged 8, died in Wellington after earlier testing positive for swine flu.

The last two victims suffered underlying medical conditions.

Waikato District Health Board medical officer of health Dr Felicity Dumble said it was unknown if Wilson's asthma contributed to his death but people with respiratory conditions were at a greater risk of serious complications from swine flu.

New Zealand's first swine flu deaths were tragic but no cause for panic, said Director of Public Health Mark Jacobs.

"People shouldn't be any more concerned about swine flu after the tragic events of today than they were previously," said Jacobs. "The messages are basically the same and the responses are the same - they're about what people can do to protect themselves and protect their families from this infection."

Health Minister Tony Ryall expressed condolences for the families of the three victims.

He said health authorities were working hard to manage the spread in communities. "Every year New Zealand loses about 400 people to seasonal flu and swine flu is going to lead to more deaths on top of that - how many we don't know.

"But what is clear from around the world is that, for most people, swine flu will be mild, for some it will be more severe and for a smaller group it will be fatal."

Yesterday, the number of confirmed swine flu cases in New Zealand was 945. Wellington had 292, followed by Canterbury with 230 and 202 in Auckland.

The Ministry of Health's priority is managing the pandemic. Basic hygiene is the main message.

Jacobs said people with serious underlying health problems should seek medical help if they develop symptoms.

"If anybody, regardless of having other risk factors or not, gets sicker - if they have difficulty breathing, get drowsier, and their temperature is going higher - that's an indication to get more medical advice."