Re: Ireland: woman dies - brings total to 18
Page last updated at 17:56 GMT, Thursday, 3 December 2009
Ireland swine flu death 18 as NI hospital cases fall
Another person in the Republic of Ireland with swine flu has died, Irish health authorities have said. The death of the woman, who had an underlying condition, brings deaths in the Republic from the virus to 18.
It comes as the health authorities in Northern Ireland announced another decrease in the number of new hospitalisations for swine flu.
Eight people were admitted to hospital last week, compared with 17 the previous week.
<!-- E SF -->
Chief Medical Officer Michael McBride said the virus was still circulating and people should remain vigilant.
The vaccination programme for pre-school children is due to start within a few weeks.
There has also been a drop in the number of swine flu detections.
There were 33 in the last week compared with 43 the week before.
The number of out-of-hours calls for flu-like illness has decreased by 16%.
However, there has been a slight rise in GP consultation rates.
Dr McBride said this may be partly due to an increase in the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) activity which causes respiratory illness, particularly in young children, and presents with symptoms similar to flu.
Health Minister Michael McGimpsey said the general downward trend in the figures was "very encouraging" and suggested that his department's preparations and plans were working.
In the Republic, there are 181 people in hospital with the virus, and 12 are in intensive care.
The number of infections has fallen, with just under 11,000 new cases seen in the last week.
However, the Republic's Department of Health has expressed concern at the low uptake of the vaccine among children aged six months to under five years despite sending letters to more than 250,000 parents.
The Irish Medicines Board has said there have been 483 adverse reactions to the vaccine, mostly mild, and there have been no serious, unexpected safety issues.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8393273.stm
