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A 51-year-old Mexican woman visiting Melbourne has become the fourth confirmed case of swine flu in Victoria.
The woman became ill on Tuesday, two days after arriving in Melbourne.
She tested positive to the virus overnight.
Victorian Health Minister Daniel Andrews says the woman and two of her family members have been isolated.
He says the woman has exhibited flu symptoms and is generally unwell.
"I think the best indication of how acute her symptoms are is that she doesn't need hospital care. She can be properly cared for at home," he said.
More victims?
Health Minister Nicola Roxon has told Newsradio she is expecting more positive test results to be confirmed later today.
"There are, in both of these instances, in New South Wales and Victoria, family members who are undergoing further tests," she said.
There are now four new cases of swine flu in Victoria, including three brothers from the same family."
The school attended by two of the boys, Clifton Hill Primary School in Melbourne's north, will close for two days.
The situation will be reassessed on Sunday night.
The family had been on a trip to Disneyland.
Fifty-one of the boys' classmates have been given anti-viral medication and are quarantined at home.
Ms Roxon said there will not be blanket testing of all students at the school, with parents instead asked to monitor their children.
"I think the community does need to be aware that the chances of there being some passing on of the disease probably are fairly good," she said.
"I do think the public need to be reminded... that the further you get from Mexico it seems the severity of the disease has been less."
School principal, Geoff Warren says the boys' classmates probably are not at risk.
But on Health Department advice late last night, they decided to close the school for two days.
"The advice is that it is highly unlikely to have spread in the short window of opportunity that was there for that to happen," he said.
"It's that possibility, remote though it may be, that has led to the decision to close the school for two days to contain any spread that may have occurred."
The boys' 12-year-old brother, who goes to a high school in the city's northern suburbs, also has the flu.
Victoria's acting Chief Health Officer, Dr Rosemary Lester, says he was only at his school, Thornbury High, for an hour this week.
"So we won't be giving anti-viral medication or requiring quarantine," she said.
"We will be giving the parents advice, obviously explaining the situation to them and saying that obviously if their children do develop any symptoms they should seek medical advice."
NSW case
Meanwhile health authorities have detected another possible case of swine flu in New South Wales.
Authorities are running tests on a child who was travelling from the US with a New South Wales woman who has since been confirmed as having the illness. |
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