THE NORTH:TWO MORE people have died in Northern Ireland from swine flu.
In the past week a nine-year-old girl with an “underlying health condition” and a woman (65), also with an underlying condition, died, the North’s Department of Health said. This brings the number of swine flu-related deaths in Northern Ireland to 10.
There were 215 new cases of laboratory-confirmed swine flu during the past week, bringing confirmed cases in Northern Ireland to 1,093. The number of GP consultations for flu and flu-like illness has decreased by 21 per cent.
The North’s chief medical officer, Dr Michael McBride, said swine flu was still circulating widely in the community. “After a sustained increase for several weeks we have seen a decrease this week in some of the key indicators,” he said. “However, the decrease may be partly due to half-term holidays and it is too soon to say whether the peak has been reached. Levels remain highest among the five to 14 age group.”
Dr McBride added that hospitalisations had increased again this week, and said there would be “enough vaccine to vaccinate everyone in the priority groups over the next four to five weeks”.
