kiwibird
Editor, Senior Moderator
http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/2585731/Fight-me-screamed-Kiwi-swine-flu-patient
LATEST: Indonesian security guards chased and subdued a New Zealand tourist, Richard Lochner, 40, who tried to escape from isolation at a Bali hospital, where he had gone with suspected swine flu.
Mr Lochner went to the emergency room of the Sanglah General Hospital on July 8, after spending four days at his tourist accommodation in Kuta complaining of flu-like symptoms, the Bali Post reported.
A triage team at the hospital admitted him to a special isolation ward prepared for suspected HIN1 patients, but a few hours later the New Zealander escaped by jumping over a 2m wall.
Hospital officials sent a security team to recapture the tourist, seen as posing a potential threat to community health.
Discovered on a nearby street carrying a motorcycle helmet, Mr Lochner was reported to have challenged the security officers, screaming "fight me, fight me!"
The newspaper reported security guards pursued him to a petrol station, where he surrendered and accompanied the guards back to the isolation ward.
The five guards involved underwent a decontamination procedure at the hospital and were treated with Tamiflu.
SWINE FLU DEATH TOLL REACHES SEVEN
In New Zealand, the number of deaths involving swine flu has risen to seven, after a Taranaki man who died earlier this week was confirmed as having the illness.
The man had an underlying medical condition, but his family had asked that no details about him be released to the public, a Health Ministry spokesman said.
The number of confirmed cases of swine flu was unchanged at Friday's total of 1555, because the system that collated the figures was down for scheduled maintenance, he said.
Swine flu has become New Zealand's dominant flu strain, accounting for about 75 percent of confirmed flu cases in the week ending Sunday.
Swine flu has rapidly replaced seasonal influenza, and was putting health services under particular pressure in Wellington, Taupo and Rotorua.
The illness was more serious than it had sometimes been portrayed, with the country's death rate likely to be about the same or higher than the roughly 400 deaths from seasonal flu each year, Massey University mathematical biologist Professor Mick Roberts said.
- NZPA
LATEST: Indonesian security guards chased and subdued a New Zealand tourist, Richard Lochner, 40, who tried to escape from isolation at a Bali hospital, where he had gone with suspected swine flu.
Mr Lochner went to the emergency room of the Sanglah General Hospital on July 8, after spending four days at his tourist accommodation in Kuta complaining of flu-like symptoms, the Bali Post reported.
A triage team at the hospital admitted him to a special isolation ward prepared for suspected HIN1 patients, but a few hours later the New Zealander escaped by jumping over a 2m wall.
Hospital officials sent a security team to recapture the tourist, seen as posing a potential threat to community health.
Discovered on a nearby street carrying a motorcycle helmet, Mr Lochner was reported to have challenged the security officers, screaming "fight me, fight me!"
The newspaper reported security guards pursued him to a petrol station, where he surrendered and accompanied the guards back to the isolation ward.
The five guards involved underwent a decontamination procedure at the hospital and were treated with Tamiflu.
SWINE FLU DEATH TOLL REACHES SEVEN
In New Zealand, the number of deaths involving swine flu has risen to seven, after a Taranaki man who died earlier this week was confirmed as having the illness.
The man had an underlying medical condition, but his family had asked that no details about him be released to the public, a Health Ministry spokesman said.
The number of confirmed cases of swine flu was unchanged at Friday's total of 1555, because the system that collated the figures was down for scheduled maintenance, he said.
Swine flu has become New Zealand's dominant flu strain, accounting for about 75 percent of confirmed flu cases in the week ending Sunday.
Swine flu has rapidly replaced seasonal influenza, and was putting health services under particular pressure in Wellington, Taupo and Rotorua.
The illness was more serious than it had sometimes been portrayed, with the country's death rate likely to be about the same or higher than the roughly 400 deaths from seasonal flu each year, Massey University mathematical biologist Professor Mick Roberts said.
- NZPA