Swine flu victim's father cleared of virus

Zachary Wilson was the first New Zealander to die from swine flu. Photo / Supplied

The father of the first New Zealander to die from swine flu has been cleared of the virus.

Under strict doctor's orders to take the prescription drug Tamiflu, the man, whose son Zachary Wilson died on June 28 from swine flu, has had to grieve on his own at his small Hamilton flat.

Waikato District Health Board said that Zachary's father yesterday received the all-clear for the Influenza A (H1N1) swine flu.

A spokeswoman said the man had thanked the public for respecting his family's privacy.

"The family was still grieving the loss of a much-loved son, cousin and
nephew and now had the news that his death was swine-flu related to deal
with," she said.

Zachary's mother said since her son's picture appeared in media over the weekend, many of his friends contacted her to offer support.

She said many young people thought they were indestructible and encouraged them seek help from the free Healthline or from a GP if they had swine flu symptoms.

Isolation

On Sunday, Zachary's father said his neighbours had treated him "like a leper".

"I'm stuck here by myself and it's very hard with no family around me," said the man, who did not want to be named. "There are days when I sit on the couch and bloody burst into tears for no reason."

He said the 19-year-old asthmatic had antibiotics for what was believed to be a "chest cold" but seemed just mildly ill when he came over to watch rugby last weekend.

He had enjoyed a big meal and saw the British and Irish Lions lose to South Africa in the second test before falling asleep on the couch in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The man said he got up the next morning and did some chores around the house before he tried to rouse his son. But Zachary never woke up.

"It got a little bit late so I thought I'd better wake him ... I touched him and that was it," he said.

Waikato Medical Officer of Health Dr Felicity Dumble said Zachary's flu-like illness progressed rapidly over three days.

She said it was difficult for most people to determine the difference between what was a bad cold and full-blown influenza.

"It can progress very quickly, they start out quite similarly but then what can happen with influenza is you can get secondary complications such as pneumonia."

Dr Dumble said people with mild to moderate influenza should keep fluid intake up and rest at home. And they should immediately seek medical advice if signs of complications arise.

"Those could be tightness in the stomach, severe chest pains, if you start coughing up blood or green phlegm or if you have a temperature which can't be reduced with paracetamol."

Another danger sign is that if somebody is becoming drowsy or difficult to wake, confused or if a child is becoming irritable that's also another sign that they need to seek medical attention."

Dr Dumble said younger people were possibly more susceptible to swine flu than older people possibly because the latter group had been exposed to a previous influenza epidemic that has given them some "residual cross protection".

"People who are younger won't have that."