Two more fatalities brings Ireland’s swine flu death toll to 20

TWO more people have lost their lives after contracting the swine flu virus, bringing the total number of deaths in this country to 20.

At the latest weekly update on the global infection, Department of Health and the HSE officials confirmed the number of swine flu cases in Ireland decreased for the third week in a row.

However, despite the downturn the state’s chief medical officer, Dr Tony Holohan, said in the past seven days, two more people have died as a direct result of the virus.

The men, from the south and east of the country, were both suffering from underlying medical conditions.

Two more deaths, both in the south of the country, were confirmed in the fortnight before the latest figures, with 20 Irish deaths recorded since the virus emerged in April.

Since last Thursday, 5,500 new cases of swine flu have been reported nationwide, with 161 patients in hospital with the virus, nine of whom are being treated in intensive care.

The figures were revealed after a European-wide study concluded that Ireland is no longer a major swine flu danger zone after a significant downturn in cases over the past fortnight.

Despite the national infection rate in children and teenagers under the age of 15 continuing to cause concern, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDPC) has downgraded Ireland’s outbreak intensity from “very high” to “high”.

Ireland is now placed in the “high” category alongside Denmark, Germany, Estonia, Luxembourg, Latvia, Norway, Poland, Slovenia and Sweden.

As a result, Greece and Lithuania are the only European countries still considered to be in the grip of a “very high” infection intensity rate.

According to the latest ECDPC figures, there were 41 swine flu-related deaths across Europe last month.

A total of 483 fatalities have been recorded across the continent since April, with the highest national death-rates in Britain (127), France (92), Germany (66) and the Netherlands (37).

Meanwhile, a study published in the British Medical Journal has questioned whether the anti-viral medication Tamiflu has any noticeable impact on swine flu. Like the vast majority of countries which could afford the drug, Ireland has followed the World Health Organisation’s advice to stockpile the initial defence against the infection, with €2.6 million spent on Tamiflu and similar medications.

Pharmaceutical firm Roche has strongly defended the efficiency of its product. However, the study has questioned the usefulness of the medication, claiming “the absolute benefit is small” and “side-effect and safety” issues had to be considered.