In Wales another seven people with swine flu in Wales have died, taking the total number of deaths to 21.
The Welsh Assembly Government also said it was aware of a swine flu-related death of a person from Wales abroad. Dr Tony Jewell, chief medical officer for Wales, said the rise had been expected and a number of the people had been seriously ill for some time. He stated a second vaccination programme which will focus on children will begin shortly. He also added: “Sadly, this week, we have seen a further increase in swine flu-related deaths. However, we are aware that a number of these people had been seriously ill for some time.
The latest word from WHO on the H1N1 crisis
To date, WHO has received vaccination information from 16 of around 40 countries conducting national H1N1 pandemic vaccine campaigns. Based on information in these 16 countries, WHO estimates that around 80 million doses of pandemic vaccine have been distributed and around 65 million people have been vaccinated. National immunization campaigns began in Australia and the People’s Republic of China in late September.
All of this news impacts on travellers because people who have to fly by scheduled airliners are at greater risk of getting H1N1. Thankfully, thus far, H1N1 has not had the devastating impact it was expected to have.