Third Maltese H1N1 victim (4th to die in Malta)

[Shiloh]

Source: http://www.di-ve.com/Default.aspx?ID...ewscategory=36

Third Maltese H1N1 victim
di-ve.com by di-ve.com - editorial@di-ve.com
Local News -- 28 December 2009 -- 22:40CEST

A 32-year-old man became the third Maltese to die of swine flu, the government said in a statement.

An 82-year-old woman died on 17 August following complications after suffering from a chronic heart condition and related respiratory problems.

Then, on September 3, a 63-year-old man, who had chronic health problems, died after being diagnosed of having contracted (A) H1N1.

Four people died from the virus when a young Spanish woman who was found dead in an apartment in Malta on August 24 was also the victim of H1N1 complications

[Celvin11]

Re: Third Maltese H1N1 victim

When reporting, the Spaniard registers with Malta's fatalities

[estacion]

Re: Third Maltese H1N1 victim

Hi Shiloh.

Then, there are four deaths hapened in Malta. Could you change thread title to reflect this?

Thank you!
estacion

[JimO]

Re: Third Maltese H1N1 victim

Source: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles...s-to-swine-flu

Wednesday, 30th December 2009
Radio personality succumbs to swine flu
Claudia Call

Maltese radio is mourning the loss of Justin Chircop, 32, who dedicated his life to exploring all the facets of the broadcasting world he had a passion for.

"He always dreamed about radio. He started as a DJ in nightclubs but eventually started cutting down on that when we got married and had our daughter Sarah... He worked very hard to achieve his dream," Mr Chircop's wife, Isabel, recalled.

His dream was to set up his own radio station, which he managed to do last June when Vibe FM was launched.

Mr Chircop died of complications caused by swine flu on Monday night. The government said he was suffering from a condition that could aggravate lung infections. He was the fourth person to die of the virus in Malta.

His death saddened the broadcasting community especially as, throughout his career, Mr Chircop worked in various television and radio stations and gained experience he channelled into Vibe FM.

"He truly had a passion for every aspect of radio," Terry Farrugia, his friend and colleague at Vibe FM, said.

"At least, he got to see his dream come true with Vibe FM. He was very good at what he did and was always liked by colleagues... I'm very fortunate to have had such a wonderful friend."

His other colleague, Gianni Zammit, shared a similar sentiment: "He spoke about radio like something that was in his bloodstream. The way he knew radio was fascinating. He even knew the sales aspect and kept perfecting his sales techniques."

Before moving to Vibe FM, Mr Chircop had worked as a sound engineer at Net TV and later moved to Bay Radio where he was head of sales.

Jonathan Abel, who worked with him at 89.7 Bay, was Mr Chircop's best man at his wedding, nearly seven years ago.

"I remember the first time he walked into the studio and smiled at me. He was a very professional man and great to work with. He was also very ambitious, yet down to earth. He always wanted to have his own thing, which he managed through Vibe FM," Mr Abel said.

He added that Mr Chircop was also a good teacher and an inspiration to new people who joined the station.

Former Net TV journalist, Amanda Ciappara, said: "He was great to work with. He was so calm and liked joking... He would even dance in the studio to make us laugh. However, if he needed to be serious, he was."

Mrs Chircop also recalled her husband's funny streak. "He would walk into a room and cheer up anyone who looked sad... He was a very good father. Our daughter Sarah said she misses her papa and hopes he will be back one day," she said in a soft tone.

"He was my best friend. I didn't need anyone else in my life apart from him and my daughter... He deserves a good tribute because he worked so hard and had such a passion for radio."

Mr Chircop's funeral will be held tomorrow at St Theresa's church, Birkirkara, at 9.30 a.m.

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: Third Maltese H1N1 victim (4th to die in Malta)

Thursday, 31st December 2009 - 16:52CET

Autopsy confirms death was from A H1N1

The autopsy on 32-year-old Justin Chircop, the fourth victim of A H1N1 in Malta, has confirmed that he died from the infection.

The health authorities said in a statement results showed that Mr Chircop, whose funeral was this morning, did not suffer from any illness which could have aggravated the situation. As is usually done following autopsies, more tests are being carried out.

The health authorities said that since the arrival of the first A H1N1 vaccines, 741 health professionals had been vaccinated.

People suffering from chronic illnesses and pregnant women will be vaccinated as from Saturday. People going for the jab should take with them their identity card, the yellow carton or a doctor?s reference.

More information can be obtained from 2132 4086.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20091231/local/autopsy-confirms-death-was-from-a-h1n1

[Tonka]

Re: Third Maltese H1N1 victim (4th to die in Malta)

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100103/local/no-explanation-forthcoming-on-swine-flu-report-statement

Sunday, 3rd January 2010 - 10:59CET

No explanation forthcoming on swine flu statement u-turn

The health authorities are refusing to disclose what led them to issue an incorrect statement that a 32-year-old swine flu victim suffered from a condition that may have aggravated chest infections.

When contacted yesterday healthcare director general Ray Busuttil said: "We had information and due to our promise (to inform the public) we passed it on. After some time, more information came through that changed the position we had transmitted initially and we passed it on correctly. That was the situation - no more, no less. I have no further comments to make on the case.

"I am not hiding anything but protecting the confidentiality of the patient. It's easier for me to say what the exact case was but I'm bound by respect for the patient," he said.

Last Monday, the health authorities issued a statement through the Department of Information informing the public that Justin Chircop died of "complications from the A H1N1 (Swine Flu) virus". The department added that the victim suffered from a condition that could exacerbate chest infections.

But last Thursday the health authorities issued a second statement, seemingly contradicting the one circulated by the DOI.

Following an autopsy it emerged that Mr Chircop, the fourth person to die of swine flu in Malta, had no other illnesses and had succumbed to a severe attack of swine flu.

This meant that Mr Chircop, a popular radio deejay, was the first Maltese swine flu fatality not to have been in the "vulnerable group" because the other three all had underlying conditions that could aggravate the illness.

When contacted, Dr Busuttil said the health authorities had never said Mr Chircop had one of the conditions that would have put him in the vulnerable group - which include the elderly, pregnant women and children under five.

"He was never one of the people who fell within the vulnerable group... Our message is that the case of Justin Chircop shows that the influenza can impact people who are not in this group. This is not just in Malta but across the world and, as health authorities, we were expecting that we'd have such a death," he said.

He said Mr Chircop's death did not mean that swine flu had become more dangerous. The health authorities had always said that healthy individuals were also at risk. Worldwide, between 20 and 50 per cent of swine flu victims were perfectly healthy before they died.

Dr Busuttil added that complications due to swine flu could arise for several reasons. People could get a bad bout of the infection or develop more symptoms.

He urged people to follow the advice given by the health authorities to take the swine flu vaccine, stay indoors if they had flu-like symptoms and stay in touch with their doctor if symptoms persisted.