Sydney - Most of the 70 inmates at a far-north Queensland prison initially thought to be infected with swine flu were cleared Friday of having the virus, an official said Friday. A spokesman for the Lotus Glen Correctional Centre near Cairns said, however, that five prisoners had tested positive for the H1N1 strain of the flu and a further two were likely to have contracted the virus and were in isolation awaiting the results of their tests.
The prison has been closed to visitors, and prisoners are to only be allowed to leave for court appearances after being checked by a nurse.
Three prisoners and a staff member from Capricornia Correctional Centre near Rockhampton have also tested positive for swine flu and have been place in quarantine.
Ten people with swine flu have died in Australia. Most, if not all, had serious underlying health issues before they contracted the virus.
As of July 1, the World Health Organization had confirmed 77,201 human cases of swine flu and 332 deaths worldwide.
