‘6,000 Australians could die from swine flu’

Health authorities have estimated up to 6,000 Australians could die from swine flu in a 'worst case scenario' during the current Southern Hemisphere winter.

Health authorities have estimated up to 6,000 Australians could die from swine flu in a “worst case scenario” during the current Southern Hemisphere winter,the country’s health minister said Thursday.

But that figure would likely only be reached if no action were taken against the virus,such as using antivirals and vaccines,Health Minister Nicola Roxon told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio. Australia has ordered 21 million doses of a vaccine,which authorities hope to begin using by October.

There are an average of 2,000 to 3,000 flu-related deaths in Australia per flu season,the health department said. Australia is the worst-hit nation in the Asia-Pacific region,with 24 swine flu-related deaths and 11,194 confirmed cases of the virus,according to the latest figures from the nation’s health department.

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Also Thursday,New Zealand confirmed its tenth swine flu-related death. The Ministry of Health said the total number of confirmed cases in the country had risen to 2,107. A total of 113 people were in the hospital with the flu or complications stemming from the virus,including 23 in intensive care.

Meanwhile,Google shut one of its offices in southern India on Tuesday and Wednesday after an employee tested positive for swine flu,a company statement said. The office in Hyderabad with 250 workers was closed while it was being sanitized,the statement said.

However,the main office in the city,a key software hub in the country,was functioning normally.

Last week,the World Health Organization reported nearly 95,000 cases of swine flu worldwide,including 429 deaths.

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