Total confirmed cases yesterday were 1779, up from 1555 on Friday.
10 battle swine flu in intensive care
Ten people are fighting for their lives in Auckland and Northland hospitals after testing positive for swine flu.One of the patients critically ill with swine flu in Auckland was teenager Claudia Teague, a Year 9 student from Woodford House in Havelock North, who is in Starship children's hospital after becoming sick in the holidays.
A 29-year-old man also with suspected swine flu and no underlying medical conditions spent time in intensive care after being admitted to Gisborne Hospital.
* Warning signs
The Ministry of Health advises people to call a doctor or Healthline (0800 611 116) if the ill person:
Starts to feel better, then gets worse.
Has a temperature of 38C or greater.
Has chills or severe shaking.
Has difficulty breathing or chest pain.
Has purple or blue discoloration of the lips.
Is less responsive than normal, is unusually quiet, or becomes confused.
Is vomiting and unable to keep liquids down.
Has signs of dehydration such as dizziness when standing, not urinating, and in infants, a lack of tears when they cry.
Has seizures or convulsions.
- ADDITIONAL REPORTING: NZPA
More patients critically ill from swine flu
There have been no deaths from swine flu since the weekend but the number of critically ill patients is increasing.
Seven people have died from swine flu but in Northland and Auckland alone 10 people are reported to be fighting for their lives after testing positive for swine flu, or H1N1.
Swine flu now dominant strain in New Zealand
Swine flu has spread so quickly in New Zealand that it has replaced seasonal influenza that hits every winter as the dominant strain, according to an expert quoted on Saturday.
'The speed at which it has replaced seasonal influenza as the predominant strain just within the last week is incredible,' Sue Huang, head of the national influenza centre told Wellington's Dominion Post.
Alarm as swine flu becomes dominant
Swine flu, which has killed at least six people so far, is now the dominant strain in New Zealand, scientists say.THE STATS
*Six deaths of people confirmed to have swine flu test results are awaited on a seventh dead person.
*Total number of confirmed cases yesterday 1555, up from 1431 the day before.
*As of last Sunday, 162 people had been admitted to hospital, 29 with pneumonia and five with acute respiratory distress syndrome.
