More swine flu in shire

THE number of confirmed swine flu cases in the Cardinia has quadrupled in one week, jumping from just one case to four.
A spokesman for the Department of Human Services confirmed the figures yesterday (Tuesday).
The increase comes a week after Cardinia Shire mayor Bill Pearson said the council was swine-flu ready, having established a pandemic planning committee to monitor the situation closely. It also has systems in place to support the community in event of an outbreak.
There were 1599 confirmed H191 Influenza cases in Victoria yesterday. The State’s Deputy Chief Health Officer, Dr Rosemary Lester, said two Victorian men, aged 50 and 85, had died after being diagnosed with swine flu.
“Both deaths were notified to the Department over the weekend,” Dr Lester said.
She said the 50-year-old was being treated for a life-threatening cancer, while the 85-year-old had a range of underlying medical conditions.
Dr Lester emphasised that in most cases human swine flu was a mild illness from which people recovered without any medical treatment. “However, we know that for people with chronic medical conditions, influenza can be severe,” she said. “We also know that there are many milder cases in the community that have not been tested.”
Victoria is now in the protect phase as part of the response to the virus.