Swine Flu Kills Dublin Woman

A woman in Dublin has become the first person in Ireland to have died as a result of contracting swine flu.

The woman - who died in Tallaght Hospital in south Dublin - suffered from an underlying medical condition that contributed to the fatal nature of the infection.

A spokesman from the Department of Health officials said the young adult woman was the first person in the country to die from the H1N1 virus since the cases started to emerge in May.

Health Minister Mary Harney and the department issued a joint statement on Friday offering their sympathy to the woman's family and friends.

The news came over the weekend as the funeral took place of a Co Londonderry man who was the first UK serviceman to have died from the virus.

He was a Territorial Army bombardier in the Royal Artillery and passed away in a Surrey hospital last Friday, two weeks after falling sick.

The latest figures in the Irish Republic suggest that around 1,400 new cases of swine flu are emerging every week, with 70% involving people under the age of 30.

On Thursday experts warned that, while the number of new cases had dropped, the figure will rise again in the coming weeks and months.

Meanwhile while Northern Ireland continues to be less badly affected than any other part of the British Isles, six students from schools across the Province have contracted swine flu during an Irish language summer excursion to the Gaeltacht college in west Donegal.

The affected students - who have been sent home - were part of a group of 300 attending Colaiste Mhuire Loch an Iuir in the Irish-speaking Gaeltacht region.

Teacher Daithi O'Muiri said the situation was being monitored by west Donegal public health authorities.

The course will continue until 20 August when it is scheduled to finish. The students come from across Northern Ireland and do not all attend the same school.

A further complication revealed today has been a report from the British Medical Journal (BMJ) calling upon the Department of Health to have an urgent rethink of its current policy in the H1N1 pandemic.

According to the BMJ anti-viral drugs like Tamiflu and Relenza rarely prevent complications in children with seasonal flu, but they do carry side effects.

It found that the drug could cause vomiting, which could lead to dehydration and other complications.

There is also the risk that widespread use of the drugs will mean the flu virus will develop resistance to them.

See: Further Swine Flu Cases Confirmed

See: Swine Flu Drug Less Effective On Children

(DW/BMcc)