Fresh concerns about swine flu, mostly from Queenstown residents travelling overseas, prompted another upsurge yesterday in requests for protective face masks and Tamiflu.

By yesterday the number of confirmed cases of swine flu (H1N1) had risen to 86 from 71 nationally. There were none in Otago and Southland, where there were just 11 suspected cases, two of those in Queenstown and one of which had tested negative.

Unichem Wilkinsons Pharmacy owner Kim Wilkinson said they had received an influx of calls and inquiries yesterday after heightened concerns about swine flu during the weekend. Protective face masks had been hugely popular, with stocks almost selling out and more supplies ordered in yesterday. The pharmacy had sold several hundred masks since April this year, when the outbreak occurred.

"It's stepped up recently, especially after the weekend."

His pharmacy received a lot of calls yesterday about Tamiflu and how to get it, but people could only buy it with a doctor's prescription or if they had symptoms. However, Mr Wilkinson said people would be so sick by that stage that they would have been to the doctor or would be sent there by the pharmacy. No such cases had presented at his pharmacy.

Most people buying masks and Tamiflu were local residents heading overseas on holiday and wanting protection. However, most people were buying the cheaper white surgical masks designed to prevent the spread of illness from the person wearing them. The slightly dearer ($13.99 for five) N95 respirator and surgical mask was designed to protect the person wearing it from being infected.

Queenstown Pharmacy proprietor Andrew Bary said he, too, had probably sold hundreds of masks and sales of Tamiflu were up by about a thousand per cent since April, but he was still selling fewer than 100 tablets a month.

Sales for his pharmacy, two Frankton pharmacies and one Arrowtown pharmacy had increased but remained steady since the April outbreak..