27 Apr 2009

Pacific on alert over latest flu scare

7:28 pm on 27 April 2009

Countries in the Pacific are on high-alert and monitoring for swine flu.

In New Zealand 10 students have tested positive for what is likely to be the virus after a school trip to Mexico, where swine flu has killed more than 100 people.

The WHO says it's highly likely swine-flu will spread to some countries in the Pacific.

The Chief Medical Officer for Public Health in Tonga, Dr Malakai Ake, says they have scaled up their surveillance.

"We have just activated our own national epidemic task-force that took care of the SARS epidemic, the last SARS epidemic. So we are looking mainly at the scaling up at the national airport and getting information to the public at large."

Tonga's Chief Medical Officer for Public Health, Dr Malakai Ake.

Fiji is also monitoring travellers at Nadi International Airport.