Police in Mexico take precautions.

Wellington, April 28 NZPA - Reaction to health officials response time in dealing with a potential swine flu outbreak in New Zealand is mixed.

More than 100 people in Mexico have died of the flu and experts fear it could become a pandemic.

Nine students and one teacher of Rangitoto College on Auckland's North Shore who return from Mexico on flight NZ1 from Los Angeles on Saturday have tested positive for Influenza A and officials say it is likely they have swine flu.

Dozens of people across the country suffering flu symptoms are in home quarantine awaiting results.

One passenger who was on the same flight as the Rangitoto students, Ian Hooker, said health officials had only contacted him yesterday morning more than 48 hours after the flight had landed.

"We have been placed under quarantine as a result of today and I just can't help wondering whether that couldn't have been done on Sunday given that they knew about it on Saturday," he told Radio New Zealand.

He had been given tamiflu and told to stay in doors for up to seven days as he had no symptoms.

However, others are praising the response.

Dr Gay Keating of the Public Health Association said authorities had moved swiftly and the outbreak prevention was going exactly to plan.

"If the first time it was clear that it was actually influenza that the students had was Sunday night, then contacting several hundred people in the next few working hours does seem to me to be very reasonable."

Association of Salaried Medical Specialists president Dr Jeff Brown agreed.

"I think the response has been measured and appropriately balancing concern, taking things seriously, but being careful not to panic and overreact," he told the radio station.

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