Australia News Updates

[kiwibird]

http://sonshinefm.ws/news/nbstory.cfm?ID=53569124
WA Swine Flu Rises To Four

Sunday 07 June 2009 7:23 AM

WA has two more confirmed cases of Human Swine flu bringing the total number to four.

An 11 year old boy from Scotch College tested positive to the virus when he returned from Melbourne last Wednesday.

The boy then went on a music camp before he developed symptoms 89 students and 10 staff who were also on the camp are being tested for the virus.

Meantime a 23 year old Perth woman who returned from Melbourne last Wednesday has also been confirmed with Human Swine Flu.

There are now more than 1000 confirmed cases of the Flu around the country.

 

[kiwibird]

Re: Australia News Updates

South Australia

A teenager has become South Australia's 11th case of swine flu.

The 18-year-old man recently travelled to Melbourne.

There are more than 1,000 confirmed cases of the virus across the nation.

http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/australian-news/5633851/teenager-becomes-sas-11th-swine-flu-case/

 

[kiwibird]

Re: Australia News Updates

More than 1,000 Australians have tested positive for swine flu.

Eight people in Tasmania have now been confirmed as having the virus after two more positive results.

Public Health Physician Kelly Shaw said the new cases included a woman who had recently travelled to Victoria - the first confirmed case swine flu in the state's north.

An ambulance officer from Tasmania's northwest is the other new case, Dr Shaw said in a statement.

"Both of the new cases are in home isolation and following the advice of public health officials," Dr Shaw said.

North West Ambulance Superintendent Paul Templar said swine flu continued to put pressure on staffing in the region.

He said the third staff member confirmed to have the virus had been in home isolation for some days, because of close contact with previous cases.

"In addition to the three officers with confirmed human swine flu, we have another 10 staff in home isolation, either because they were close contacts of the confirmed cases or because they were showing symptoms of flu-like illness," Mr Templar said.

"That means that we currently have 13 staff members who are unavailable for the roster."

South Australia has 11 cases after an 18-year-old man from South Australia tested positive.

The man had recently travelled to Melbourne, the SA Department of Health said.

WA's swine flu tally has risen to four with two new cases.

The state's Department of Health said the most recent confirmed cases were an 11-year-old boy who returned from Melbourne on June 1 and a 23-year-old woman who returned from Melbourne on June 3.

"Both patients are at home and are doing well," the department said in a statement.

Victoria has 874 confirmed cases of H1N1 human swine influenza, according to the latest figures released.

Queensland has 37 confirmed cases after five new cases of the H1N1 virus were added.

"The latest cases included three from Brisbane and two from the Gold Coast," Queensland Health said in a statement released on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in NSW 78 people have been confirmed as having swine flu.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said 54 of them were associated with the Pacific Dawn cruise ship, a further 18 associated with overseas travel and six cases acquired in Victoria.

ACT health authorities said the territory has seven confirmed cases of the influenza A(H1N1) virus.

And the Northern Territory has two confirmed cases, according to the latest available information.

http://currentaffairs.ninemsn.com.au/health/822728/more-than-1000-confirmed-with-swine-flu

 

[kiwibird]

Re: Australia News Updates

WA faces pig flu outbreak
David Prestipino
June 7, 2009 - 1:51PM

Ten new cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Western Australia as a mass outbreak threatens.

The WA Health Department said the latest cases lifted the number of people confirmed with the disease to 14.

Details of the age and sex of the 10 latest cases were not yet available.

Two West Australians were infected after returning from Melbourne recently, bring the number of confirmed cases to four, before this latest development.

An 11-year-old boy and 23-year-old woman returned from Melbourne on separate flights this month and tested positive to the disease.

To compound the matter, the young boy went on a music camp with his school Scotch College prior to developing symptoms.

Around 100 staff and students were on the music camp and several have been given anti-viral drugs from the Health Department after being tested for the disease and showing signs of the virus.

Scotch College is reluctant to close the school because it would have to find temporary accommodation for its 170 boarders but the WA Health Department said it would close the prestigious private college if it had to.

The department's communicable disease control director Paul Effler said the young boy had flown to Melbourne with a youth football team.

Four of his fellow teammates are also experiencing flu-like symptoms.

"The close contacts of the cases have been asked to remain in home quarantine and have been provided with anti-viral medication as a precaution," Dr Effler said.

"The school involved has been very co-operative in helping us reach students, families and staff in a timely manner."

Earlier this week a 17-year-old Hillarys girl was confirmed as WA?s second case of swine flu.

The girl most likely contracted the virus when she went to Melbourne last week before she returned to Perth on Monday night on Qantas flight 583 at 10.30pm.

A 30-year-old Perth father of eight was the first person to test positive to the human swine flu influenza in WA after he returned from a trip to Canada and the US about a week ago. He has now recovered from the illness.

More than 1000 Australians have now tested positive to swine flu. Victoria still has the majority of the cases, with 874 in total. NSW has 78 confirmed cases of the virus.

- with Chloe Johnson
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/wa-faces-pig-flu-outbreak-20090606-byzv.html

 

[kiwibird]

Re: Australia News Updates

Ninth swine flu case in Tas

Posted 8 hours 5 minutes ago
Updated 2 hours 27 minutes ago
.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/07/2591486.htm
(ABC News)

* Map: Hobart 7000
* Related Story: Tasmania confirms second swine flu case

Another swine flu patient has been diagnosed in northern Tasmania.

It is the ninth confirmed case in the state including six people in the north-west, two in the north and one in the south.

Dedicated flu clinics are being set up across Tasmania and will open on Tuesday.

Health officials says there is no evidence the virus is being transmitted within the community but they have urged businesses to take extra precautions.

 

[kiwibird]

Re: Australia News Updates

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009/06/07/2591453.htm

Swine flu victim 'left hungry for days'

Posted Sun Jun 7, 2009 7:17am AEST
Updated 11 hours 49 minutes ago

* Map: Tiwi 0810
* Related Story: Swine flu screening for Islanders returning from Melbourne

A woman from the Tiwi Islands in the Northern Territory who has swine flu says she has been left in the dark by health authorities and went hungry for days because she is in quarantine.

The Health Department confirmed the swine flu case after Crystal Johnson, 35, contacted the ABC to talk about her condition.

Ms Johnson, who lives on Bathurst Island north of Darwin, says health authorities did not warn other residents the virus had arrived in the community.

She says she returned to Bathurst Island from a trip to Cairns last weekend and started to feel sick.

"I'm a chronic diabetic and it really affected me bad ... I had bad aches and pains in my joints," she said.

Ms Johnson says she met a lot of people on Monday before she went to the health clinic, and she is angry the community has not been told about the case.

"I don't want to be responsible ... if anyone passes away and things like that," she said.

"My community don't realise how it's a really bad flu and we live in a third world state here in the Northern Territory, up here on Bathurst Island."

She is now in quarantine and says she was hungry for three days because she could not leave her home.

Ms Johnson says she could not get food or call for help.

"I feel like I've been locked away in my own house," she said.

"For the last three days I didn't have any food. It was really hard for me to go outside and to actually get something to eat.

"Luckily a friend rang me and I told a friend to go and get some food for me."

But the Health Department says Ms Johnson was told she could do grocery shopping if she wore a mask.

The Health Department also says community elders and vulnerable people have been warned about swine flu and how to avoid it.

There are now four confirmed swine flu cases in the Northern Territory.

More than 1,000 cases of swine flu have now been reported Australia wide, with more than 870 of them in Victoria.

New South Wales has hit 78, Queensland 45 and South Australia 11.

There are eight each in the ACT and Tasmania, while there are four in Western Australia.