Finland Faces First Swine Flu Death
Image: YLE
Swine flu has claimed its first fatality in Finland. On Saturday, a 25-year-old woman died in hospital in Northern Ostrobothnia.
She also suffered from a chronic illness, the details of which have not been released.
The woman was diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection caused by the H1N1 virus on October 16. She was treated with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu on the same day. According to medical staff, it was thought she was recovering from the H1N1 virus. The specifics of the cause of death are under investigation.
So far, 522 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Finland. About 150 of the cases were diagnosed in the past two weeks. Most of last week's patients were in northern Finland.
The National Institute for Health and Welfare forecasts that the swine flu epidemic may cause 40-50 deaths in Finland.
YLE