New Zealand now has 303 cases of swine flu, with the majority of people experiencing relatively mild to moderate symptoms.

The number of confirmed cases is rising rapidly, up 45 from yesterday.

The Ministry of Health says there is no need for alarm and it is well prepared if the outbreak becomes more severe. Numbers are expected to rise as the pandemic continues over coming months.

The virus is also likely to cause many more infections than are seen with seasonal or ordinary winter flu, because most people have little or no immunity to it.

There are 22 confirmed new H1N1 cases in Auckland, 10 in Wellington and 9 in the Bay of Plenty.