DESPITE claiming one life and keeping Gisborne Hospital’s intensive care treatment busy for four months, swine flu’s overall impact on Tairawhiti was relatively low.

Between July and October 26 people were admitted to hospital with confirmed cases of influenza A H1N1. Another six were admitted with suspected swine flu.

However, the pandemic was a great practice run for doctors’ clinics, Gisborne Hospital and Tairawhiti District Health should another more serious pandemic occur, said TDH emergency planning manager Steve Hooper in his report to the TDH board.

Influenza A H1N1 infected about 15 percent of the national population and had a death rate of 0.01 percent, he said.

Tairawhiti was the 20th DHB to record an H1N1 infection

“We were let off lightly with respect to the virulence of this virus. Our emergency department, ICU and primary care may well have been stretched beyond capacity had the virus taken on a more virulent profile.

“General practices were busier than usual, even counting for the fact that seasonal flu usually impacts on them in the winter months.”

The health board was ready to open a community centre for treatment of flu-like illnesses should the need arise, said Mr Hooper.

“From a hospital perspective, the impact was most felt in the Intensive Care Unit where over a period of four months numerous patients were required to be isolated and ventilated.”

This meant some surgeries were postponed, he said.

During the peak of the pandemic an ICU isolation bed costing $62,232 was built for patients who needed to be isolated and ventilated.

The focus now was on making improvements to TDH’s pandemic response and preparing for the second wave of the H1N1 virus, said Mr Hooper.

With limited space to isolate patients, the emergency department was pressured during the pandemic, said TDH chief executive Jim Green.

“Nurses and other clinical staff worked very hard to provide all the care required. On the wards side, rooms were at a premium and the ICU was blocked for periods with patients in isolation.

“Most influenza patients were isolated once identified, but we usually did not know if they were H1N1 until we got the results back. If they were influenza A they had to stay in isolation for seven days.”

Restrictions were still in place in the maternity and neo-natal units, he said.

“This was introduced not only as a precaution against H1N1 but also whooping cough and measles.

“At this stage, only partners and one support person are allowed to visit these two departments, however a new visitors’ guideline is being developed and will be introduced shortly.”

There were a number of hospitals across New Zealand that still had similar restrictions in place.