Four new cases of Human Swine Influenza in Australia

21 May 2009

Four more Australians have tested positive to Human Swine Influenza with three confirmed cases in Victoria and one in NSW.

The Victorian Department of Human Services reported today that a nine-year old Melbourne boy who returned from the USA earlier this month with his family, had tested positive for H1N1 09.

The child’s symptoms appeared on Monday and based on what is known about this form of influenza, it is believed that he was not infectious when he returned to Australia on May 12.  However, this afternoon tests on his three siblings identified that his two brothers, aged 12 and 10, who returned on the same flight with the rest of the family from Los Angeles on May 12, had also tested positive to Human Swine Influenza.  All three boys remain at home where they are getting the care that they need. They are not ill enough to be hospitalised.

Public health officers from the Department of Human Services attended the primary school providing classmates and contacts of the boys  with antiviral medication. Advice on the signs and symptoms of influenza was also provided to all other parents of children at the school.

The eldest boy is a student at a northern suburbs secondary college, but has not been at school long enough during his infectious stage to warrant similar rollout of antiviral medication.  However, parents of students at his school are being asked to contact their local GP if they are concerned about their child’s health.

NSW also announced today the first confirmed case of Human Swine Influenza in that state today. The woman was infected while travelling in the United States in early May and recovered before returning home to Sydney. US health authorities have confirmed that the woman became unwell while overseas, and was prescribed Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) as a precaution.
She only returned home to NSW after she had recovered and was no longer considered infectious.

Tonight NSW Health confirmed that a child member of the travelling party of three on a flight from the USA to Sydney has returned an equivocal test result for Human Swine Influenza (Influenza H1N109). The child had a very mild illness -- not typical for influenza -- whilst travelling in the USA and testing was undertaken as a precaution. No additional people were required to be quarantined as a consequence of this result.  NSW Health has referred the child’s test sample to the World Health Organisation Collaborating Centre (WHOCC) in Melbourne for verification of the result.