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No name change for swine flu in New Zealand

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-05-01 16:25

WELLINGTON -- The New Zealand officials will continue to use the term "swine flu" despite the World Health Organization (WHO) now referring to it as influenza A (H1N1).

The "swine flu" label will stick so as not to confuse people, the Ministry of Health said on Friday after the WHO stopped calling the influenza strain "swine flu" at the request of meat producers facing a backlash from consumers mistakenly associating the flu with pork products.

Related readings:  WHO to drop term 'swine flu' to protect pigs  Swine flu cases in New Zealand confirmed  Pork consumers mixed as swine flu spreads

In New Zealand, 401 people were now in isolation as a result of the swine flu outbreak. Many of these were healthy, but had been in contact with others showing signs of influenza.

As of late Friday, there were officially three confirmed cases and 11 probable cases of swine flu in the country, Health Minister Tony Ryall said.

The number of suspected cases has increased from 111 on Thursday to 136 on Friday. Meanwhile, another person who had been in contact with infected Rangitoto College students had developed flu-like symptoms.

The Rangitoto group, which was initially at the center of the scare after returning from a trip to Mexico early last Saturday, would be considered non-contagious from early Saturday, and others on the flight would be in the clear, Ryall said.

Meanwhile, 26 students and four teachers from Lindisfarne College are in isolation after returning from a music tour through the United States that included time in California.

By Friday afternoon, 11 students from secondary school Hastings Girls, who were on the same tour, voluntarily isolated themselves.

The New Zealand government is now ordering more supplies of anti-viral drug Tamiflu.

Health Minister Ryall said there are 1.25 million courses of Tamiflu available in case of a pandemic.

A new order has been placed to increase that stock by 10 percent to 1.37 million. Stocks of another anti-viral drug, Relenza, have also been ordered.

Overseas students planning to study in New Zealand are being told there is no need to put off their travel plans because of swine flu.

Education New Zealand has issued offshore agents with a statement saying a widespread outbreak is highly unlikely in New Zealand and the government is taking the issue seriously.

Education New Zealand Chief Executive Robert Stevens said the international student market is worth 2.3 billion NZ dollars (1.3 billion U.S. dollars) a year and needs to be protected.