Do you know anyone with swine flu?
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International drug companies are expecting a swine flu vaccine to be available soon, possibly even next month.
US company Baxter International says it is in full-scale production of an A/H1N1 flu pandemic vaccine that could be ready for commercial use next month.
Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG expects its vaccine to be available by September or October after it produced the first batch for testing ahead of schedule.
The news comes as Health Minister Tony Ryall calls for calm as the swine flu outbreak continues its rapid spread throughout the country, hitting a North Shore high school and the police college at Porirua yesterday.
The number of cases rose sharply, from 43 on Saturday to 71 last night, but Mr Ryall says there is no reason for alarm and more cases are to be expected.
Westlake cases
A Year 12 student at Westlake Girls High School has been confirmed with swine flu - the first case in Auckland involving a person who had not been overseas or in contact with someone who had.
A further 10 students at the school have flu-like symptoms and are suspected of having the virus. As a precaution, all Year 12 students have been advised to stay home for the week and those with the symptoms are being treated with Tamiflu.
"It is an enormous disruption for senior students," principal Alison Gernhoefer said last night. "We are sending home 450 kids, as many as a small school."
At least five teachers who had been in contact with the 16-year-old student were being asked to stay at home for the four-day incubation period. The Ministry of Health also recommended the school give pregnant teachers a week's leave.
Ms Gernhoefer said it was likely 150 students would be withdrawn from the Big Sing choral competition this week. However, her greatest concern was the interruption to students' academic work.
"The teachers will be very upset. We prayed like hell this wouldn't happen. We had everything in place in the hope that nothing would eventuate. But what can you do?"
Last night, the Year 12 dean and form teachers were trying to call all their students. Those who arrive at school this morning will be kept in a separate room and given transport home if necessary.
South Island cases
The new cases include 14 in the Samoan community in Christchurch.
Health officials believed those cases had been contained but advised Samoan's affected not too attend church.
Fifty students and teachers at Burnside High School in the city have also been quarantined after a 13-year-old boy attended school with symptoms.
His four-year-old brother attended Tino e Tasi Pre-School with flu symptoms and nine other preschoolers there had since tested positive.
Canterbury medical officer of health Alistair Humphrey said the situation was worsening.
"We think there is going to be cases all over the country and we have certainly had a cluster," he told Radio New Zealand.
"It is gathering pace and we can expect more cases in the days and weeks ahead."
A group of 40 young travellers and their Kiwi Experience bus driver have been quarantined on the West Coast of the South Island after a female passenger tested positive for swine flu.
Other new cases include a 33-year-old man in Wellington who had not recently travelled or been in touch with anyone who had.
A recruit at the Royal NZ Police College has tested positive as well and is being treated with Tamiflu. People who have been in contact with the recruit are also on Tamiflu and some are in quarantine.
Mr Ryall said the authorities were working to contain the spread as much as possible.
"This is a rapidly changing situation, with cases increasing exponentially both here and in many states of Australia," he said.
New Zealand has now recorded more than 70 cases, up from 35 on Friday night.
The virus is now spreading in the community, and not just among people coming into contact with overseas travellers.
The Ministry of Health is urging people who suspect they have the flu - either swine or seasonal - to seek medical advice over the phone.
Health officials predict more than two million New Zealanders will get swine flu in the next two years.
Mr Ryall said those who believed they had the flu - swine or seasonal - could do their bit to slow the spread by being sensible; anyone with symptoms should not go to school or work, and nor should they just turn up at a medical centre.
"I don't think your work mates or your school mates would be happy if you're spreading it around," Mr Ryall told NZPA.
"(And) you don't want to put people with flu symptoms in with a whole lot of other people turning up at GP clinics.
"You can imagine what it would be like if everyone with flu symptoms turned up at the hospital."
Mild for most
The deputy director of public health, Darren Hunt, said the danger of swine flu was its rapid spread, and the wider population had no immunity because it was a new strain.
He said public health authorities had prepared well for the pandemic, and swine flu sufferers were still showing only moderate symptoms similar to seasonal flu.
"According to our experience in New Zealand and confirmed by the World Health Organisation, for most people this flu is mild and they recover quickly at home without having to visit their doctor," said Dr Hunt.
The ministry recommends that people who develop flu symptoms within seven days of returning from overseas should call their doctor and not go to school or work.
Prime Minister John Key said New Zealand was one of the first countries to be identified with swine flu and had one of the lowest rates of infection.
"We have high stocks of Tamiflu and a world-class health service to support those who may or may not have swine flu ... But there is no doubt that there will be pressure on our health services in the next few weeks."
The international drug companies have been working hard to have their vaccines ready for the Northern Hemisphere winter later this year.
The Baxter and Novartis vaccines were both developed using cell-based technology that could allow for much more rapid production and distribution than traditional vaccines produced using chicken eggs.
Novartis said its vaccine would enter clinical trials next month.
The World Health Organisation has declared swine flu the first influenza pandemic in four decades and warned governments to prepare for a long battle against the virus. It said further spread of the flu was "inevitable".
More than 140 people have died worldwide.
* What you need to know
Wash and dry your hands frequently or use a cleanser such as an alcohol-based gel.
Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue and dispose of the tissue in a rubbish bin with a lid or plastic bag.
Symptoms include fever, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue.
If you develop symptoms, phone your GP or Healthline (0800-611-116) for advice, or visit www.moh.govt.nz.
Parents of students who become sick should contact the Auckland Regional Public Health Service Flu Line on 0800-358-546.
Ring before you go to a hospital or health centre because of the risk that you will infect other people already there.
- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AGENCIES
