Tests confirm woman died of swine flu in Czech hospital

Prague, Oct 23 (CTK) - The National Reference Laboratory has confirmed that a 31-year-old woman died of swine flu infection in a hospital in Karlovy Vary, west Bohemia, on Thursday being the first victim of this disease in the Czech Republic, laboratory head Martina Havlickova told reporters Friday.

One man aged 30 is still hospitalised in Karlovy Vary with swine flu (H1N1 virus). His condition is stabile, but still very serious, hospital spokeswoman Zdenka Markova told CTK Friday.

The woman also suffered from other serious health troubles, which is also the case of the man who has pulmonary problems.

It is not certain where both patients in Karlovy Vary could get infected as none of them was abroad recently, Markova said.

Health Minister Dana Juraskova told reporters today that more people can be vaccinated against swine flu in the country.

According to the European Medicines Agency's (EMEA) latest recommendations, one vaccine dose is sufficient for adults and health care personnel.

The Central Epidemiological Commission is to meet in the following days to specify the figures, Juraskova added.

The present vaccination plan reckons with 250,000 chronically ill patients whom a possible H1N1 infection may cause problems, 137,000 health care workers to be able to look after patients and not to spread the infection and 113,000 citizens "within critical infrastructure," Juraskova said.

According to the Health Ministry, the swine flu incidence in the Czech Republic is stabilised.

Chief sanitary official Michael Vit said 269 people died of swine flu in 18 out of the 27 EU countries, and 5113 in the whole world.

The course of illness is mild in most cases in the Czech Republic. The virus is more dangerous for people suffering from chronic diseases.

The Health Ministry is not preparing any extraordinary measures in connection with the first swine flu victim so far.

People with selected diagnoses will be vaccinated in the first wave in November.

A total of 314 cases of swine flu have already been confirmed in the ten-million Czech Republic.

At present, some 10 people are ill with swine flu with five new patients being registered to date.

Up to two million people contract season flu during an epidemic and over 2000 of them die from the disease.