A CHILD in the west and a woman in the east have died from H1N1 swine flu, the Department of Health said. This brings to 22 the total number of deaths from the virus in the State.
Both the woman and the girl had underlying conditions, chief medical officer Dr Tony Holohan said yesterday, extending sympathies to both families.
Dr Darina O’Flanagan of the Health Protection and Surveillance Centre said there were still considerable infection rates among young people.
The infection rate among children under four is more than double the general population. Rates of infection among children aged five to 14 are a fifth higher than the general population.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) was anxious to vaccinate as many children as possible, and was urging parents to get children vaccinated, said director of population health Dr Pat Doorley.
A third of children under five have been vaccinated, as have 10 per cent of schoolchildren.
Some 304 adverse reactions to the vaccine among children have been reported from over 150,000 vaccinations, Dr Joan Gilvary of the Irish Medicines Board said. These reactions were generally mild. Of some 21,500 pregnant women vaccinated, there were 42 adverse reactions reported, also generally mild, she said.
New infections fell by two-fifths last week, with some 3,000 new cases. – (Additional reporting: PA)
