The Genie is out of the bottle

HEALTH authorities are urging Victorians not to panic, despite confirmation yesterday that a 15-year-old Melbourne student has become the 14th Australian to catch swine flu.

The boy, a year 9 student at Mill Park Secondary College, has had no contact with overseas travellers or with any of the other eight confirmed cases in Victoria — proving that swine flu is now spreading through the community in the same way that seasonal influenza does.

Do not panic

He is the third case of "community-acquired" swine flu in Melbourne, following positive tests on a 17-year-old girl from St Monica's College in Epping and on an eight-year-old boy from the western suburbs.

Victorian Health Minister Daniel Andrews said health officials were trying to trace how the three people had contracted the disease in a bid to minimise an outbreak.

Do not panic.

The development came as almost 3000 people were quarantined for more than five hours aboard a cruise ship in Sydney Harbour, after four passengers were found to have flu-like symptoms.

Victoria so far has shown symptoms no more severe than the ordinary seasonal flu, which kills around 2500 Australians a year.

However, they concede that, in a worst-case scenario, swine flu could kill up to 5000 Australians this year.

"But while it could easily kill twice as many people as the normal flu … this is no reason to panci," Dr Hampson said.
Note the misspelling of the word "panic" by the reporter.

CONFIRMED CASES

-Victoria 9

- NSW 2

- South Australia 2

- Queensland 1

The important thing to remember is do not panic.
I've taken the precaution of packing supplies and have taken off for the hills, away from civilization. I have a radio to keep up to date with the news but won't be returning home till summer.