H1N1: three deaths in a weekend in France
A 26-year-old man died Sunday because of virus H1N1 at the University Hospital of Saint-Etienne (Loire). But unlike all other deaths in France, the patient would not have associated pathologies. Saturday night, he went to the hospital with breathing difficulties.
Despite treatment with Tamiflu, antibiotics and respiratory aid, the patient died yesterday. "A complication of such gravity remains exceptional " however, a hospital source said. If this carrier of virus was healthy, which should be determined in the coming days, it could be the first death in metropolitan France of a person with no underlying pathologies.
On the same day, in French Guiana, a 37-year-old woman died as a result of pneumonia caused by virus H1N1. She had various chronic diseases. This is the first case due to influenza A in this overseas department.
Finally, on the same Sunday, an 18-year-old woman died at the Saint-Denis University Hospital in La Réunion. She had an immune deficiency and had developed lung disease before she died. This is the fourth death on the island virus H1N1.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 3,200 victims of influenza Has since the beginning of the epidemic.
According to several laboratories, a single dose of vaccine would be sufficient to obtain a satisfactory immune response from the patient. The vaccination campaign could begin in October.
