Wellington, July 25: A new research from the University of Otago showed influenza A/H1N1 could be far more infectious in New Zealand than originally thought.
The researchers from the university’s Department of Public Health in Wellington estimated that a person who is ill with the new strain will infect on average almost two other people.
Researchers said this means up to 80 percent of the entire population of New Zealand could become infected.
However the researchers pointed out that only two thirds of those infected may be expected to show symptoms and such a spread would require a high level of mixing between groups.
The findings are published in the latest New Zealand Medical Journal.
Meanwhile, the number of deaths from influenza A/H1N1 in New Zealand remained at 13.
–Agencies