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Swine flu: Tamiflu more accessible, death toll still at seven 
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Updated 8:02PM Wednesday Apr 29, 2009NZ Herald staff and agencies
Swine flu screening: Fonti Kar talks with an Auckland Health Official after she showed signs of the flu upon her return from Spain. Photo / Greg Bowker
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Tamiflu, the medicine being given to people showing symptoms of influenza A and swine flu, will be publicly available without a prescription from Friday.
The Pharmacy Guild of New Zealand today said pharmacists could only sell Tamiflu to patients who displayed symptoms of influenza.
It came as the Government took steps to make swine flu a notifiable disease, giving it the power to isolate any person diagnosed with the illness.
Health Minister Tony Ryall said the move means there is now a formal process for notifying health authorities of swine flu.
Fourteen cases of the strain have been confirmed in the Auckland area, while there are another 31 suspected cases throughout the country.
Officials have placed 179 people in isolation across the country.
In addition to that, 11 people on a flight that stopped off in Auckland today en route to Australia were taken to hospital, suspected of having the virus.
Five of those were in transit to Australia.
This afternoon a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) dismissed claims that more than 150 people have died from swine flu, saying it has officially recorded only seven deaths around the world.
Vivienne Allan, from WHO's patient safety program, said the body had confirmed that worldwide there had been just seven deaths - all in Mexico.
Associated Press said countries confirmed with the illness included Mexico (19 people), USA (66), Canada (13), Spain (2), Israel (2) and New Zealand (3).
The BBC website said the United Kingdom had two confirmed cases of swine flu and reported Germany's first confirmed case in Bavaria.
Mexican health authorities say the virus is suspected in 159 total deaths. They say it has infected over 2000 in Mexico alone.
"Unfortunately that [150-plus deaths] is incorrect information and it does happen, but that's not information that's come from the World Health Organisation," Ms Allan told Australia's ABC Radio today.
"That figure is not a figure that's come from the World Health Organisation and, I repeat, the death toll is seven and they are all from Mexico."
Tourism impact
Prime Minister John Key today maintained New Zealand was still a safe place to travel, despite the confirmed cases of swine flu.
The Indian government has told people not to travel to New Zealand and "one or two" Japanese tourists have cancelled their trips to New Zealand.
"Also when the Sars virus came out the Japanese were particularly sensitive to those issues," Mr Key told a media conference this afternoon.
Mr Key was to meet with the Japanese Foreign Minister this evening and said the topic of swine flu "may well come up in the conversation".
Anyone who has travelled to Mexico or North America in the last seven days should contact Healthline (0800 611 116) for information. They should seek medical advice if they are displaying flu-like symptoms.