Australian federal government on Friday urged Australians not to panic over influenza A/H1N1 amid revelations that stockpiles of anti-viral drugs were running low.

"I want to reassure people and remind people that there currently are no confirmed cases of swine flu (influenza A/H1N1) in Australia," Health Minister Nicola Roxon told reporters in Melbourne.

Roxon said that sales of Tami Flu and Relenza had increased three or four fold, possibly due to people taking more precautions.

"We need people to be respecting the importance of using those anti-virals when they're needed and not unnecessarily hoarding them if they are not needed," Roxon said.

Responding to reports that people worried about a possible pandemic had started a rush on supermarkets, snapping up extra food and grocery supplies, Roxon again said it was wise not to panic.

"We're certainly not advising people that there's any need at this stage to make particular provisions in their own pantries," Roxon added.

Australia has held 8.7 million courses of Tami Flu and Relenza but they've not been released them because the country is not yet in a pandemic situation, Roxon said.

The anti-viral drugs are normally used to treat seasonal flu but have also been shown to treat influenza A/H1N1, the minister said.

(Xinhua News Agency May 1, 2009)