Swine flu has become a sensitive issue in some Aboriginal communities who fear stigmatisation - Northern Territory health authorities have not revealed which communities in central Australia have been affected with swine flu, referring to swine flu cases as being in the "Warlpiri region", a vast area with a number of different communities.

Experts say there will inevitably be more swine flu deaths and those with chronic health conditions were among the most vulnerable but they also say each year normal seasonal flu claims the lives of victims and the same can be expected from this new swine flu virus where people with existing serious health issues will be more severely affected.

In Australia there are 520,000 Aborigines who represent 2.5% of the population - chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney and heart disease are common and life expectancy 17 years less than the national average.

Nicola Roxon says she is confident that the planning already done and the steps taken to pre-deploy Tamiflu and Relenza to many remote areas will help but says the situation warrants care as there is still a long way to go with swine flu, particularly in Australia's winter season.

It was the rapid spread of the virus in Australia which prompted the WHO to declare the first global pandemic in 40 years earlier this month - last week Australia's swine flu alert level was changed to "protect," which means only the most vulnerable receive anti-viral treatments such as Tamiflu and Relenza.