First case of Human Swine Influenza detected in Australia

09 May 2009

Australia now has the first confirmed case of H1N1 09 with a person in Queensland testing weak positive for human swine flu. Late last night the WHO Collaborating Centre in Melbourne confirmed the initial test results.The person arrived in Brisbane on 7th May from Los Angeles and is believed to have contracted the disease while travelling in the United States. The person has fully recovered from the virus.

The person first became sick while overseas, and did not return to Australia until most of the symptoms had abated. The person reported their recent illness and travel history at the border. The person is currently well and no longer infectious, so does not pose any risk to the Australian public. The person is no longer in isolation.

It is not known where the person caught the virus but they were travelling in the United States. We understand that major symptoms had disappeared before the person returned to Australia, and it had been more than a week since the person was first sick. On return to Australia the person had some minor symptoms, but this is not unusual for people with the flu, and it does not mean the person was infectious.

We do not believe it likely that anyone else in Australia has been infected from this person. The person is believed to have been most infectious while overseas, but as a precaution the people who travelled in close contact with this person will be called to see if they are well.

While it has been some time since the onset of illness and the person is no longer symptomatic and past the isolation period, as a precaution health authorities are contact tracing people who were on the same flight.

Other passengers on the plane sitting within two rows of the person, as well as any attendants who served the person, are being contacted. This is in accordance with the guidelines for public health management of this new type of flu, developed by the Communicable Diseases Network Australia.

As an added precaution the health authorities are actively following up all close contacts of the confirmed case to ensure they are well.

Finding a case of H1N1 09 in Australia was inevitable but due to our strong border measures and world-class disease surveillance systems, we have been able to identify this case.

At this stage there is no reason for the public to be unduly concerned. There is no evidence that there is person to person transmission of this new flu virus in Australia.