Radio New Zealand - Te Reo Irirangi o Aotearoa

Hospitals 'coping well' with swine flu cases

Updated at 5:49 am on 1 August 2010

The country's main hospitals say they are able to cope with the growing number of swine flu cases.

Ministry of Health figures show 59 people were admitted to hospital in the last week with influenza likely to be swine flu.

Public health officials say almost all cases of influenza this winter are of the H1N1, or swine flu, strain.

Wellington Regional Public Health says the upswing of flu cases is small compared with last year and emergency departments appear to be coping so far.

A spokesperson for the Auckland District Health board, Mark Fenwick, says emergency departments are busy, but not overwhelmed, and there is nothing to suggest that last year's flu pandemic will be repeated.

Copyright © 2010, Radio New Zealand