A fully licensed swine flu vaccine might not be available until the end of the year, a top official at the World Health Organisation said on Monday, in a report that could affect many countries' vaccination plans.
The number of swine flu deaths in New Zealand has risen to nine after two more deaths were confirmed in the Wellington region.
The swine flu death toll has officially reached six with a seventh case unconfirmed.
New Zealand appears to have had its first swine flu deaths following confirmation today that three people who have died in the past week had the virus.
The mother of a teenager whose death last week was connected to swine flu is encouraging young people to seek help if they get sick.
Health, emergency and some other workers could be offered vaccinations against swine flu, but not until the end of the year.
Prime Minister John Key says ordering a stockpile of a new swine flu vaccine for emergency workers is an insurance measure that he hopes won't be needed.
The agent for Harry Potter star Rupert Grint says the actor is recovering from a mild case of swine flu.
Public Health is no longer swabbing every person suspected to have swine flu as the number of confirmed cases of swine flu in New Zealand continues to rise.
Preparation for the swine flu pandemic should not be seen as a waste of time or money, chief executive Brian Rousseau told the Otago District Health Board yesterday.
A woman admitted to Hawke's Bay Hospital with swine flu a week ago remains in critical condition, while the condition of a Wellington woman has been downgraded from life-threatening to serious.
While most people who contract swine flu will be able to recover at home, some people with other health conditions could become critically unwell and should phone a doctor, the Ministry of Health says.
Swine flu has arrived in the South, with three cases being confirmed in Dunedin.
Health Minister Tony Ryall says it is inevitable that swine flu will spread widely - possibly infecting as many as a million New Zealanders.
Health authorities are moving to manage rather than contain swine flu as outbreaks in major cities continue to swell and a woman is in critical condition in Wellington Hospital intensive care unit.
Otago and Southland remain the only regions of New Zealand which have no confirmed cases of swine flu.
A morbidly obese woman critically ill with swine flu is slowly improving, with her condition now stable.
Despite having no confirmed cases of swine flu, Queenstown must be prepared for an "inevitable" outbreak, Queenstown Lakes Mayor Clive Geddes says.
Employers and their staff need to talk with each other about what will happen if their workplace is shut down, or workers are forced to stay home because of a swine flu pandemic, the Department of Labour says.
Swine flu is going to become very widespread but there are resources and plans in place to deal with it, Health Minister Tony Ryall told Parliament today.
