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New swine flu warning after young mother dies in hospital
Sophie Goodchild6 May 2009
A new mother has become the second person to die after catching swine flu in America, triggering a new alert today over the severity of the virus.
Judy Trunnell, a 33-year-old schoolteacher from Texas, died last night making her the second fatality outside Mexico.
The first US death was a Mexican toddler visiting relatives in Texas who was struck down with flu last week.
Health officials revealed Mrs Trunnell gave birth to a healthy baby after being admitted to hospital on 19 April with the virus.
They said she did have "chronic underlying health conditions" but the flu exacerbated her condition.
Her death brings the official toll to 31, including 29 deaths in Mexico, and suggests the swine flu virus is not as mild as scientists first suggested.
Residents in the quiet street where Mrs Trunnell lived were in mourning today over her death.
Doctors knew she had a flu virus when she was admitted to hospital but they did not know it was the deadly H1N1 strain.
Tests confirmed the new mother had swine flu shortly before she died in the same hospital where she had given birth.
A total of 1,490 cases have now been confirmed in 21 countries with 28 people affected in the UK.
The virus had seemed to be slowing in Mexico, where the outbreak began. But the latest US death has raised fears it is still too early to tell how deadly it is.
Britain's chief medical officer has already warned it is too early to assume the swine flu outbreak is a mild infection just because no one in Britain has died.
Sir Liam Donaldson warned against complacency because flu viruses could change character "very rapidly". He said a larger wave of infections could occur in the autumn and winter.
Today World Health Organisation officials meet to decide when to raise the alert level from five to six, which is a full pandemic. Thousands of people have contacted NHS Direct over concerns they may have the virus.
Its staff have received more than 14,000 calls since the alert began last week.
The Government has appointed a flu "czar", Ian Dalton, as national director for NHS Flu Resilience at the Department of Health, in response to the crisis.
Health officials today revealed there were 1,883 cases confirmed worldwide.
These included 942 in Mexico, 165 in Canada, 57 in Spain and six in New Zealand. The World Health Organisation said it was starting to ship 2.4 million treatments of anti-flu drugs to the 72 countries "most in need".
Mexico said the epidemic had cost its economy $2.2billion (£1.5billion). It is flying dozens of its nationals home from quarantine in China today.
Reader views (6)
The government should be releasing the details of these 'underlyng health problems'so we can judge.I don't believe they can be blamed for killing these people.The flu is to blame.After all it HAS killed healthy people.
I have an illness which attacks my immune system and leaves me vulnerable to this flu.But my illness alone will not kill me.The flu might.As such I am furious that WHO have not done more to limit the spread.People are being allowed to travel freely,especially to Mexico where everyone who visits contracts flu and returns and spreads it to others.This puts vulnerable people like me at risk.
They quote figures,as if that matters- 1 death is unnecessary and preventable.
They can't even agree on when vaccines will available and Tested safe!
- Elle, coleraine,Northern Ireland, 15/07/2009 11:57
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Every year, the very young, the very old, and pregnant women are most vulnerable to any type of flu or cold killing them. Now we have to name this flu and scare monger. What I would like to know is how do the recent deaths / hospitalisations compare statistically to last year's? Are we going to find a name for colds next and of course even a cold can kill a person with weakened immunity....
- Real, London, 15/07/2009 10:57
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Hhmme, chronic underlying health conditions, maybe that was the reason why she died? Last year my dad had cancer and was in the final stages, he then got the flu and died; he died of cancer, not the flu.
- Nack Nack Paddy Mac, kilburn, London UK, 15/07/2009 10:57
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I see Margaret Beckett (66) Labours Housing Minister has spent £7million on an idiots guide on how to sneeze! How many more of Labours crackpot women are there to come out of the woodwork? Yet another waste of our money so it seems. I am just waiting to see a for sale advert for 31,999,999 unused face masks all offers considered, apply 10 Downing Street come out.
- Mike, London England, 15/07/2009 10:57
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Oh, please! This woman had "chronic underlying health conditions", and as such was not a healthy person to begin with. Without knowing what said "underlying health" condition was, one must consider that in fact any flue, swine or otherwise, may just as surely have sealed her fate.
While the potential for a "swine flue" pandemic with many thousdands of deaths may make good headlines, and may for a while distract "the great unwashed" from the dire mess our governements have made of the global economy, this one death indicates that the H1N1 virus is "not as mild as scientists first suggested".
- Docwright, Iberia, 15/07/2009 10:57
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My cousin was not only a beautiful, intelligent young mother/teacher she was also very healthy. The reporters need to stay to facts and the readers shouldn't judge. She was pregnant and the last time I read....pregnancy doesn't equal "sickly."
- Aida Saldana Cisneros, East Lansing, Michigan USA, 15/07/2009 10:57
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