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Girl, eight, among four new swine flu deaths in capital
Anna Davis, Education Correspondent31 Jul 2009
An eight-year-old girl and another three adults with swine flu have died in London.
The four deaths bring the total number in the capital to 15. In total, 27 people with the virus have died in England since the start of the outbreak.
None of the latest patients has been named, but health bosses said they all had "underlying health conditions".
The girl died at St Thomas' Hospital on Sunday and a man died at the same hospital on Tuesday last week. Another adult died at Newham General Hospital on Wednesday last week and a woman died at Northwick Park hospital on 15 July.
Dr Simon Tanner, regional director of public health for London, said: "We would like to extend our deepest condolences at this difficult time to all the families affected.
"It is important to remember that in most cases swine flu remains a very mild illness and people will start to feel better after just a few days without needing to go to their GP or A&E."
Figures show 150,000 people have been prescribed Tamiflu by the new flu phoneline and website.
A study of London schoolchildren showed more than half of children who took Tamiflu experience side effects such as nausea and nightmares. The research was published in Eurosurveillance, a journal of diseases. It followed 85 children at three London schools who were given Tamiflu in April and May as a precaution after a classmate was diagnosed with swine flu.
Reader views (1)
You really need to put these deaths into context! How many people have died from ordinary flu in the same time period, or smoking related disease, or simply been hit by a car? I suspect there are far more "less exciting" deaths daily.
- Marianne, SW France/London, 31/07/2009 12:22
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