Pacific Dawn crew have swine flu; Australian cases pass 100

Tests have confirmed three crew members of the cruise ship Pacific Dawn have swine flu, Queensland Premier Anna Bligh says.''This is a great pity for the passengers but this is the right thing to do for public health," Ms Bligh said.A further announcement on where the ship will dock will made later today.The Premier said no passengers had displayed symptoms.However, federal Health Minister Nicola Roxon earlier today told Fairfax Radio one passenger was being tested.VIDEO: Swine flu update from NSW HealthMs Bligh said one of her main concerns was preventing the spread of swine flu to north Queensland.She said there was no need for the Government to use quarantine powers over the ship, which is effectively isolated because it is at sea.Ms Bligh said at this stage the State of Origin match at Suncorp Stadium on July 15 will go ahead.''There is no need for us to consider cancelling any major sporting events or gatherings of people at this stage, whether that be the Gold Coast Marathon or State of Origin,'' she said. The news comes as the number of confirmed swine flu cases in NSW reached 33, including 24 passengers from the Pacific Dawn during its earlier voyage.The average age of infected people is 25, according to a NSW Health statement, and patients range from one to 53.Of those cases, 11 are within the South Eastern Sydney and Illawarra Area Health Service.Those affected so far had mainly mild illness, the department said, and there was still no evidence of person-to-person transmission of the virus within NSW.More than 100 cases in AustraliaThe new cases push the number of swine flu victims across Australia past the 100 mark, Ms Roxon said.She said the total of 103 jumped from 61 at this time yesterday, and can be expected to increase in the course of the day. Ms Roxon said most Australian cases had been "mild" but four people had been admitted to hospital.Globally, 48 countries were now affected by swine flu, more than 13,300 people were afflicted with the disease and there had been 95 deaths, she said.The minister indicated the Pacific Dawn - which has three crew members who have been confirmed as having swine flu - will be allowed to berth in an Australian port."My advice is that an agreement has been reached where the cruise ship Pacific Dawn will return to a major Australian port where appropriate public health support will be available," Ms Roxon said.The Federal Government has placed an order with drug manufacturer CSL for a swine flu vaccine, which is expected to be developed within the next few months."We will purchase ... doses to cover 10 million people, based on the current expert advice that this is sufficient to contain the spread of the disease," Ms Roxon said.The Government was continuing to develop a strategy for who would get the vaccine.Australia's chief medical officer Jim Bishop has authorised the release of a batch of antiviral medication from the national stockpile.Ms Roxon said 7500 doses of pediatric Tamiflu had gone to Victoria and Western Australia.Another 10,000 doses had gone to Victoria, where more than half the cases of swine flu come from."Localised releases from the stockpile will enable us to continue with this aggressive containment approach to small clusters of the disease," she said."Decisions on the use of the stockpile are taken by the chief medical officer and they take into account issues including the number of cases, the spread, epidemiological advice and the availability of medicines in states."