Public Health: call it what you will, the flu epidemic is proving a pig to beat.

The latest candidates for quarantine are players from a Melbourne football club, South Morang. Five of the team are already confirmed and are in quarantine and a further 12 are exhibiting symptoms leading to concerns they also have the virus.

The number of confirmed cases is rising daily, and has reached 170. The Australian government has ordered 10 million doses of Tamiflu - a disturbing number in a population of less than 25 million. 80% of Australians live around the coast with the majority clustered around the south and east coasts. In Victoria, of which Melbourne is the capital, 3000 people are in voluntary quarantine and 99 confirmed cases as of last night.

New clinics have been established for anyone who feels they may have flu. Five schools are closed and 29 of the most recent batch of confirmations are of school age.

Dr Rosemary Lester, acting Chief Health Officer for Victoria, said yesterday that the situation had now reached the point where trying to locate those who had been in contact with those confirmed as having the virus was now becoming too great a task to handle.

Off the coast, the Pacific Dawn cruise ship has been standing off, permission to dock being refused due to an outbreak on board. So far, there have been ten confirmed cases from the ship, say health authorities. The Pacific Dawn is currently en-route to Brisbane where it plans to dock. The Queensland government said that it was not prepared to risk the infection breaking into the tourist population in North Queensland. But P&O, the company that operates the ship, says that no passengers have tested positive - although three crew members have done so, all since the ship left Sydney four days ago. The disease has a three-day incubation period.

Dr Lester said there was no need to avoid public gatherings such as concerts - and football matches.

But Pacific Dawn is rapidly being regarded almost like a middle-ages plague ship, particularly after allegations surfaced in New Caledonia that health declarations filed before the ship arrived there may have been misleading. Almost 100 people on the island, some of whom had contact with visitors from the ship, are being monitored. Half a dozen people are awaiting the results of tests. The Pacific Dawn filed its health declaration 48 hours before arrival - as it is required to do. At that time, the declaration said there were no signs of illness on board.

Before Pacific Dawn is allowed to dock, Queensland Health will board to swab five people who, it says, are suspected to have the virus. About 150 people are expected to disembark once permitted to do so - but are likely to be told to self-quarantine at home for a week in case symptoms develop. Queensland Health is looking into ways of getting them home without mixing with the general population.

The bad news has had a severe impact on travel: Jetstar says that it is to cut its flights between the Gold Coast and Tokyo. The company says that about 85% of travellers on that route are Japanese and they are staying away. The initial cut of one-third of flights is planned for June but may roll over to July if the numbers do not return. Additional cuts are being made to the Osaka route.