25 people quarantined in New Zealand in swine flu scare

Wellington: Twenty-five students and teachers in New Zealand, some with flu-like symptoms, were quarantined and tested for swine flu after returning from a trip to Mexico, officials said on Sunday, as Asia stepped up surveillance for the deadly virus.

At least 81 people have died from severe pneumonia caused by a flu-like illness in Mexico, according to the World Health Organisation, which declared the virus a public health emergency of "pandemic potential."

The group from New Zealand's largest high school returned to the northern city of Auckland on Saturday on a flight from Los Angeles.

Auckland Regional Public Health Services director Dr. Julia Peters said thirteen students and one teacher were unwell and one student had to be hospitalised.