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Source: ONE News -
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Health officials are calling on householders to prepare for the spread of swine flu as they would for a civil defence emergency.
"Up to half of our population could become unwell in the next few months," Canterbury District Health Board chief medical officer Nigel Millar said.
Health services, local civil defence, emergency services and welfare organisations were working together to ensure that critical needs in the community were met during the pandemic, Canterbury Emergency Management Office chief planner Jon Mitchell said.
But help was only likely to be available for people who did not have support elsewhere in the community.
"Individuals, families and community groups of all types need to be prepared to look after themselves and each other," he said.
Seasonal influenza was already circulating and the number of people with swine influenza A (H1N1) was increasing, with 153 confirmed cases on Thursday.
There are four areas still without a confirmed case - Northland, Gisborne, Taranaki and Otago- Southland. Other regions have single figures with the highest numbers in Canterbury with 51, Auckland with 46 and Wellington 44.
Two more Christchurch schools have sent pupils home for the week. Wainoni Primary and Aranui Primary say they are dealing with up to half their pupils and staff away sick due to either swine flu or seasonal flu.
Cases in the city's eastern suburbs are rising so steadily that health officials have opened a second assessment centre to take pressure off local GPs.
While the new type of influenza was expected to make only a relatively small proportion of people so sick that they needed to be in hospital, the large numbers of people falling ill could lead to school closures, cancelled sports matches, shoppers keeping a metre apart at the supermarket, and patients having to go somewhere other than their family doctor for health care, Dr Millar said.
People should plan to have all they would need if they had to stay at home for seven days.
And friends, neighbours and relatives should be asked if they would be available to help if needed.
Most people with the flu needed to stay away from school or work for about a week.
Other precautions were regular hand washing, covering coughs and sneezes, and cleaning household surfaces, particularly if a member of the household was unwell.
The Ministry of Health's telephone help line (0800 611 116) has been expanded to handle calls from both sick people wanting to talk to a registered nurse, and well people seeking more general information.
And a national telephone advice service for general practitioners is being set up to help doctors manage the rising numbers of cases.
It has been established jointly by the Ministry of Health, the Royal New Zealand College of General Practitioners and ProCare Health.
