Two more deaths from swine flu

Two more people have died from swine flu here, bringing the death toll from the pandemic virus in the Republic to 20.

Two more people have died from swine flu here, bringing the death toll from the pandemic virus in the Republic to 20.

The latest deaths, confirmed by the Department of Health, were both of adult men, one in the south and one in the east. Both had underlying medical conditions. Dr Tony Holohan, chief medical officer at the Department of Health, said rates of infection generally were continuing to fall. The numbers fell last week to 60 per 100,000 of the population, down from 90 per 100,000 a week earlier.

Among children under four, infection rates were higher at 135 per 100,000, while among those aged five to 14 the rates were 69 per 100,000.