Probable swine flu case in Wellington

Wellington has its first probable case of swine flu.

Health Minister Tony Ryall told a briefing today the person arrived at Auckland on an Air New Zealand from Los Angeles last Sunday and then travelled to Wellington.

Health official said they were now tracing passengers on the April 26 NZ1 flight and a subsequent domestic flight to Wellington who were sitting within two rows either side of the passenger.

The person has tested positive to Influenza A and results of tests for swine flu were due this evening, Mr Ryall said.

New Zealand's total number of confirmed cases remained at four and the number of probable cases at 12 while there are 116 suspected cases, he said.

All of the confirmed cases arrived on the NZ1 flight on April 25.

Officials announced they were also boosting efforts to get better passenger contact information with new locator forms distributed to incoming passengers from affected areas.

Mr Ryall said that following a request from the Niue government, the approximately 110 passengers on the once a week flight to the tiny Pacific Island would now be screened as they left New Zealand.

Yesterday official confirmed two people suspected of suffering from swine flu who arrived in New Zealand before last Saturday, have been cleared.

St John Ambulance is preparing to provide operational support during the swine flu outbreak.

New Zealand is operating at a Code Yellow status as part of the Influenza Pandemic Action Plan, which means the ambulance service is in a planning and preparedness phase.

The World Health Organisation alert level is one step away from its highest level.

Meanwhile Mexico voiced hope on Friday it might be getting control of an outbreak of a new flu strain that has killed up to 176 people there, shut down large parts of the country and raised fears of a global epidemic.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Mexico's outbreak of the new flu virus may not be as severe as it looked at first, citing many mild cases that were not immediately noticed.

Worldwide, 15 countries have confirmed cases. South Korea confirmed its first case at the weekend, a day after Hong Kong reported the first H1N1 patient in Asia.

Almost all infections outside Mexico have been mild, and only a handful of patients have required hospital treatment.

- NZPA