Swine flu tests restricted as numbers rise

Swine flu sufferers can expect to stop being infectious 72 hours after first taking Tamiflu. Photo / Greg Bowker

Public health authorities are restricting the number of people they test for swine flu, now that the pandemic is escalating rapidly in New Zealand.

The total of confirmed cases rose by 31 to reach 117 yesterday, up from 35 last Friday when the number began rising fast.

To try to limit spread of A/H1N1 flu, health officials closed two more schools yesterday because of confirmed cases: Ranui Primary School in West Auckland for the rest of this week, and Bromley School in Christchurch for seven days. Factory workers at a Christchurch seafood business have been sent home after two cases of swine flu were confirmed.

The Dominion Post reports one child was in isolation last night after testing positive for swine flu and one room in the children's ward at Wellington Hospital was put in lockdown.

The Capital and Coast District Health Board said the child tested positive for the H1N1 virus, and another who shared the same ward was being treated with Tamiflu in isolation at home.

Staff who had treated the sick child were also in quarantine. A hospital spokesman said there was no reason to suspect that any other children had come into contact with the patient.

In Auckland, St Patrick's School in Panmure, Auckland, remains closed and several other schools are without groups of students: Burnside High in Christchurch, Kowhai Intermediate in central Auckland and, on the North Shore, Westlake Girls, whose Year 12 and some others are in home isolation.

One of the suspected Westlake cases is being treated with Tamiflu but the public health nurses have not tested her. The girl said the lack of testing was irresponsible because the suspected cases had been in contact with their families and many other Westlake students.

Michael Park School in Ellerslie reported last night that a teacher had presented sick and been sent home with Tamiflu. But as the teacher had not been confirmed as carrying swine flu, the school was not intending to send students home.

Auckland Public Health clinical director Dr Julia Peters said that now the number of cases was rising fast, she had to prioritise resources and that meant restricting laboratory testing.

Suspected cases in primary care were still being tested, but in clusters like those at Westlake Girls and St Patrick's it was unnecessary to test everyone.

Once a case was confirmed, others with flu-like symptoms who had had contact with that person could reasonably be assumed to have the disease and treatment could begin.