Swine flu outbreak

The number of confirmed cases of swine flu in New Zealand has risen by two to 19 .

Four more cases of swine flu have been confirmed in New Zealand, bringing the total number of cases to 23.

A New Zealand woman has been diagnosed as Malaysia's ninth official swine flu victim.

The rapid spread of swine flu through Australia and the first cases detected in the South Island have sparked an upsurge in pandemic planning by some Otago businesses.

New Zealand Warriors captain Steve Price has been stood down by the club until Wednesday on advice from the National Rugby League (NRL), following concerns State of Origin players may have been subjected to swine flu.

Health officials can order people into quarantine after the Government passed new regulations to combat swine flu.

Another case of swine flu has been confirmed in New Zealand, taking the total to 14.

Concerned swine flu awareness is in decline, health authorities are launching an advertising campaign warning people the problem has not gone away.

As the number of swine flu cases in New Zealand remains stable, updating of pandemic planning continues in Otago and the district health board is yet to count the cost of its response to the outbreak.

No new cases of swine flu were reported in New Zealand over the weekend.

The World Health Organisation has raised its tally of confirmed human cases of swine flu to 8,451 in 36 countries, including at least 72 deaths.

With swine flu still spreading, the UN health agency is warning countries to limit their use of antiviral drugs to only high-risk patients to ensure adequate supplies in case the virus should mutate and become more dangerous.

The number of suspected swine flu cases in New Zealand has dropped markedly.

Indications from tourism operators suggest up to 2000 visitors may have cancelled visits to this country because of swine flu fears, an industry representative says.

No new confirmed or probable cases of swine flu have been reported since Saturday, says the Ministry of Health.