Second person dies of swine flu

A second Dutch man has died of complications following swine flu or the H1N1 virus, the public health institute RIVM said on Friday.


Like the first victim, this 58-year-old man was already seriously ill before becoming exposed to the virus.
There is nothing to suggest that number of cases of swine flu registered at family doctors has gone up this week, the RIVM said. Ten people were hospitalised last week, bringing the total number of hospital cases to 46.
The Netherlands no longer keeps a central register of swine flu cases and not all patients suspected of having the virus are tested.
Earlier this week it emerged the campaign to vaccinate people against swine flu is to focus on at-risk groups rather than the general population.
According to health ministry figures, the cost of fighting swine flu in the Netherlands could be as high as €700m. So far, some 1,500 people have been diagnosed with the disease in Holland.

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