Seven UK swine flu deaths

Two nine-year-old schoolgirls and a teacher have died in the UK from swine flu, bringing the number of deaths there to seven.

One of the girls, named in reports as Asmaa Hussain, was from the same town of Dewsberry, West Yorkshire, as the teacher, Abdullah Patel. However, no link has been established between the two. Asmaa reportedly suffered from epilepsy and died 15 minutes after she had a fit. Mr Patel, who was in his forties, also had underlying health issues.

All seven people who died in the UK from swine flu have been confirmed as having underlying health issues. However, it is not known what these health issues were in the majority of cases, or how severe they were. In some of the cases, it is not yet clear whether some of the victims died from swine flu or from their pre-existing health conditions.

Underlying health problems include asthma, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, or weakened immune systems. According to England’s chief medical officer, people with breathing problems and obese people are at high risk.

A US study by the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has indicated that among those who have been hospitalised for swine flu, 32% have asthma or chronic lung disease, 16% have diabetes, 10% are current smokers, and 7% are pregnant.

An analysis of 99 US residents who died of swine flu revealed that 11% had asthma, 24% had other lung diseases, 13% had diabetes, 11% were morbidly obese, and 34% were obese.

It has been estimated by the CDC that over one million Americans have had swine flu, even though only 34,000 cases have been confirmed in laboratory tests.

Almost 100,000 cases of the virus have been confirmed worldwide. Cases continue to escalate in Ireland, with 81 now having been confirmed. Cases are being confirmed here at a rate of eight or nine per day.

[Posted: Tue 07/07/2009]