Two people have died in Tauranga Hospital after becoming sick with the flu this winter while more than 190 cases of influenza were recorded in the Bay of Plenty region.
The Institute of Environmental Science and Research (ESR) had recorded 193 cases of influenza in the Bay of Plenty District Health Board area this year as of August 26.
Of those 7.8 per cent were A(H1N1) - swine flu - and 87.6 per cent were influenza A but had not yet been broken down to sub-types.
Bay of Plenty District Health Board infectious diseases specialist Dr Kate Grimwade said one of the two patients who died had several other contributing factors that played a part in their death.
During the years since swine flu first emerged it had become one of the more prominent circulating influenza strains, Dr Grimwade said. "Most of this year's flu so far is Influenza A of which most of those typed across the country have come back as H1N1 (swine flu). Many of our local ones are likely to be the same." When a new strain such as swine flu emerged there was always concern it could sweep through a population because there was no immunity, she said.