WELLINGTON, Jul. 6, 2009 (Xinhua News Agency) -- The number of confirmed cases of influenza A/H1N1 in New Zealand rose to 1,059 on Monday, up from 961 on Sunday, the Ministry of Health said.
The number of deaths associated with influenza A/H1N1 remained at three.
Among the confirmed cases, Wellington stood at 301, Auckland at 249 and South Island's Canterbury region at 238.
"It's important to note that the actual number of cases of the new influenza A/H1N1 will be significantly higher, as only a small proportion of people with symptoms are now being tested. This is because for most people's mild illness and they will recover readily at home without needing medical treatment," said Fran McGrath, Deputy Director of Health, Ministry of Health.
For most New Zealanders, the flu will be a mild to moderate illness, but in some instances, the virus can cause more severe illness and in a few tragic instances, death.
"We know that people with some significant underlying medical conditions are at greater risk. However, it's important to remember that overseas experience has shown that some previously healthy people have also been seriously affected by swine flu," McGrath said.
"We all need to remain vigilant," she added.
New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced on Monday that the government will pay millions of dollars to ordered an initial supply of 300,000 doses of a vaccine from Baxter Healthcare. (NYSE:BAX)
"Having the vaccine is primarily an insurance policy, we want to be in a position to have the vaccine rather than the other way around," Key told a press conference, adding that the doses is sufficient for 150,000 workers.
"Global demand for vaccines is high, so we have secured sufficient vaccine for this priority group of New Zealanders. In addition to this purchase, we have a long-standing option to access more vaccine if required under existing supply agreements with Australian vaccine maker CSL," said Health Minister Tony Ryall
The vaccine is due for delivery within the month but it will not be used for an immunization program unless it is licensed by Medsafe.
Ryall said that currently the new pandemic A/H1N1 influenza virus was resulting in a mild illness for most people.
The confirmed number of cases in New Zealand hit 1,059 on Monday, but that was the "tip of the iceberg", said Ryall, adding that because there was less testing now under the management phase of the health response compared to containment.
More than 400 people died in New Zealand yearly from seasonal flu and numbers were expected to be higher when influenza A/H1N1 was added to the mix.
