Swine flu death analysis

The terrible swine flu pandemic that caused mass panic in the earlier months of 2009 is responsible for 26 deaths for every 100,000 cases of swine flu.

New data published today on the BMJ website reveal a fatality rate of 0.026 per cent.

When the pandemic was announced in June 2009, the Department of Health in England ordered all primary care trusts to collate data on people who became victims from swine flu.

Today’s study reveals the first analysis of all this material and includes all known deaths in England from the flu up until 8 November 2009.

The research reveals that 66 per cent of the people who died from swine flu would now be in one of the at-risk groups who would receive the vaccination.

Chief Medical Officer for England Liam Donaldson believes that improvements in nutrition, status, housing and health care explain the apparent decrease in the number of fatalities.

He said: “since the most recent pandemic there have been major advances in intensive care medicine.”