'Ninth' Swine Flu Tragedy Revealed

A fifth Northern Ireland child has died after contracting swine flu.

The BBC is reporting that a child with special needs - who was from Co Antrim - died last week and is officially the ninth person in NI to die with the virus - even though the new tragedy means that 11 NI people have actually passed away with swine flu.

The Department of Health was this afternoon unable to confirm the latest death but told the BBC that, in line with a new policy, it would only be updating the public in a weekly bulletin - which is normally published on Thursdays.

However, the schoolgirl is the eleventh person from Northern Ireland to have died after contracting the disease.

In addition to the nine people who physically died within NI, one person died in England and another NI victim also died in Spain.

Last month, two girls from Foyleview Special School, Londonderry, died within a week of each other.

Following the deaths of Ashleigh Lynch and Orla O'Kane, there were calls from some school principals for teachers in special schools to be included in the first wave of vaccinations and after a rethink by Stormont Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey, that has now taken place.

At the end of October, more than 2,500 children in over 20 special schools for severe learning disability across Northern Ireland were offered the vaccine as a matter of urgency.

See: Swine Flu Mum Battles For Life

See: Swine Flu Death Toll Rises

(BMcC/KMcA)