Swine flu cases jump by 20 in N.B.

The Department of Health has confirmed 20 new cases of swine flu in New Brunswick, pushing the total number of infected people in the province to 61.

Dr. Paul Van Buynder, the deputy chief medical officer of health, confirmed the latest number of infected people at a news conference on Thursday in Fredericton.

He also said that the province is now seeing an increase in the number of children with the H1N1 virus.

Van Buynder said New Brunswick now has a similarproportion of children sick with the fluas in other areas in Canada.

The province is no longer testing those with mild flu symptoms.

The deputy chief medical officer said the virus will likely peak again in the fall.

"I would remind the people of New Brunswick that while the illnesses have been mild, it has required them to stay home for a period of seven days," he said.

Van Buynder said health officials in the Southern Hemisphere are seeing swine flu replace the seasonal flu. He said as many as 90 per cent of flu cases in those countries are swine flu.

He said if that happens in Canada this flu season it could increase the potential stress on the hospital system. The Health Department had worried that there would be swine flu cases on top of the normal volume of season flu cases.

Van Buynder said he expects the first rounds of swine flu vaccine to arrive in New Brunswick in early December.