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Asthmatics and patients with respiratory conditions are being urged to be extra vigilant in light of New Zealand's first deaths from the H1N1 swine flu virus.
Three New Zealanders have died after contracting swine flu in the past week, one of them confirmed as an asthma sufferer.
Eight hundred thousand New Zealanders suffer from some kind of respiratory illness and one in four children has asthma. And while most of the population who get swine flu will suffer only a mild to moderate illness, some suffering from these illnesses may potentially be hit harder.
This concern comes after the death of 19-year-old Hamilton man Zachary Wilson, who was asthmatic. He died at home and never had swine flu diagnosed before his death last Sunday. It was an illness which took hold and progressed quite quickly.
Doctors are reminding those with asthma or emphysema to be extra vigilant with their medication and monitoring of their conditions if they get flu in the weeks to come.
The number of confirmed cases of swine flu in New Zealand is approaching the 1000 mark, with 961 cases on Sunday. However, with less monitoring on a Sunday, that's apparently a very conservative figure. The real spread of the virus is thought to be at least 10 times that figure.
Meanwhile calls to healthline have rocketed since ONE News on Saturday night reported the deaths. A record 2000 calls, 40% higher than normal, shows that now there are deaths occurring there's more concern in the community.
Health officials stress there is no cause for alarm and that most people will be able to recover from swine flu quite adequately at home. There are 400 deaths each winter from seasonal flu which puts some perspective on the deaths from swine flu.
