Region warned: brace for swine flu

Alex de Vos
An outbreak of swine flu in Geelong is “inevitable”, health authorities have warned.
Barwon Health spokesperson Kate Nelson said the organisation was expecting a “big impact” on its services around the region.
She urged residents to “be mindful” of the potentially deadly disease.
The warning followed the Federal Government confirming on Wednesday that cases of swine flu in Australia had doubled to 61 in 24 hours. Thirty-three cases were in Victoria, 18 in New South Wales, five in Queensland, three in South Australia and one each in Western Australia and the ACT.
Ms Nelson said authorities were yet to diagnose swine flu in Geelong but she advised anyone with flu-like symptoms to contact their doctor.
“What you need to do is ring ahead first and advise your doctor if you have those symptoms so they can implement infection-control procedures to minimise the risk of transmission,” Ms Nelson said.
“We also need people to practice good personal hygiene.”
She said Barwon Health would continue working with Department of Human Services, General Practitioners Association and City of Greater Geelong to contain the virus.
“But we need the public’s cooperation to minimise transmission,” she said.