More deaths as under-fives vaccine planned

There have been four more deaths from swine flu, while the latest figures show a slight drop in the incidence of infection.

Meanwhile, the HSE has said it hopes to be able to start inviting some children under five to get the vaccine from next week, and the Department of Health has advised people to if possible refrain from visiting patients in hospital.

Department of Health Chief Medical Officer Dr Tony Holohan told a press briefing that the the overall rates are showing a slight reduction from the figures provided last week, with the current figure at 178.5 per 100,000, compared to 210 last week.

In children under five the rate is now 383 per 100,000 while in children 5 to 14 it is 365. Nearly three per cent of the population has shown clinical signs of swine flu to date.

Dr Holohan said the reduction might be due to the fact that the figures were collated during a week with a bank holiday and that children had been on their mid-term break.

The four new deaths all occurred in people with underlying illnesses - two of the dead were women from the east of the country, there was one male death from the east and one woman from the south died. There have now been 14 deaths.

Hospitalisation numbers cumulatively have risen to 665, an increase of 173 on the previous figure. There are now 165 people in hospital, an increase of 56, and 19 people remain in ICUs.

About 40% of hospitalisations have recorded at least one underlying illness, Dr Holohan said, but the figure rises to 80% among H1N1 patients in ICUs.

Six per cent of swine flu hospitalisations to date have been among pregnant women while 16% of ICU patients have been pregnant. Dr Holohan advised people not to visit patients in hospitals, particularly children under the age of 14, because of the risk of transmission of swine flu.

Dr Joan Gilvarry of the ICU told the briefing around 250,000 does of the vaccine have so far been distributed and around 20,000 people have now been administered the vaccine, although the real figure was probably much higher as it does not take into account all GP vaccinations at this stage.

Twenty-three mild adverse reactions, such as local skin reactions, have been reported. Fifteen were from Pandemrix and four from Celvapan. The level of reactions have been well within the expected safety profile, Dr Gilvarry said.

There had been four reported adverse reactions in pregnant women but all were mild.

Dr Kevin Kelleher of the HSE said 400,000 doses of H1N1 vaccine will have been sent out by the end of next week. He said the vaccine takes two weeks to be effective.

As regards whether two does of the vaccine would be needed for everyone, Dr Kelleher said at this stage it was known that certain groups, such as children under 13 and the immunosuppressed, would need two doses.

At present the initial cohort being vaccinated are those with chronic illnesses under the age of 65, pregnant women and very obese people.

Asked when the vaccine programme would roll out to other at risk groups and the general population, Dr Kelleher said the next at-risk groups to be targeted would be children under five, then the over 65s and schoolchildren.

He said the HSE would hope by the end of next week to be sending out letters inviting some children under five to come forward for vaccination at HSE clinics.

Dr Kelleher said the HSE had reduced the number of problems with vaccine deliveries to GPs and the second set of deliveries was now under way with GPs.

Dr Holohan said it could take as long as up to eight months to vaccinate the entire population if two doses of the vaccine needed to be given.

However, if the situation changed and it was deemed that a single dose of the vaccine was possible for large groups of the population, the vaccine could be administered more quickly to the whole population.

[Posted: Thu 05/11/2009]