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Four-year-old dies from swine flu in Brighton


A little girl has become the first person to die from swine flu in Brighton and Hove.

Tests carried out on the unnamed four-year-old from Brighton have shown the youngster lost her life after developing complications as a direct result of the virus.

The youngster, who had no underlying health problems, was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton after falling ill in November and passed away shortly afterwards.

Health bosses today urged people to stay calm, be aware of the symptoms of Swine flu and to get vaccinated as soon as they were invited to.

The city's director of public health, Tom Scanlon, said: “We can confirm results have shown that a child who died in Brighton last November died as a result of H1N1 Influenza, also known as swine flu.

“Our thoughts are with the child’s family and friends, and we would urge everyone to respect their privacy during this difficult and tragic time.

“This is tragic evidence of how serious swine flu can be and why we should not be complacent.

“Although the majority of people in Sussex, who have become unwell with swine flu, have only experienced mild symptoms, it can have a much more serious and tragic effect and claim lives.

“Swine flu is present in the community and we would encourage everyone to be aware of its symptoms and what to do if you or a member of your family becomes unwell.

“We are also working hard to offer the swine flu vaccine to everyone at risk of developing serious complications.

If you think that your child, or a member of your family, may have swine flu, click here for our swine flu section, including links to all the official websites you need to make an informed decision.



Your Say YourArgus

Gaz the great, Brighton says...
1:26pm Wed 27 Jan 10

A very sad loss for this little girls family. What i do not understand is how this story has just come to light!

patchamgirl, hove says...
1:41pm Wed 27 Jan 10

it was in paper that a four year old had been taken to hospital it just wasnt reported that she had passed away. R.I.P little girl.****

Txa, B&H says...
1:44pm Wed 27 Jan 10

Gaz the great wrote:
A very sad loss for this little girls family. What i do not understand is how this story has just come to light!
Because all children under five in B&H are expected to be vaccinated with the new swine flu vaccine, that no-ones knows yet the immediate and long term side effects of this untested vaccine.

quedula, brighton says...
2:27pm Wed 27 Jan 10

Txa wrote:
Gaz the great wrote:
A very sad loss for this little girls family. What i do not understand is how this story has just come to light!
Because all children under five in B&H are expected to be vaccinated with the new swine flu vaccine, that no-ones knows yet the immediate and long term side effects of this untested vaccine.
I don't understand you Txa? What are you suggesting? There is nothing in this report to suggest whether or not she was vaccinated.

Scare stories about vaccines, one of the greatest medical discoveries of all time, are not useful. Thanks to vaccines, all the dreaded childhood diseases of my youth are a thing of the past. Is modern medicine less knowledgeable now than it was then?

Txa, B&H says...
3:00pm Wed 27 Jan 10

I'm simple suggesting that perhaps article like this are part of the hysterical campaign to vaccinate our children in this city. I've very recently received a letter persuading me about this, what a strange coincidence, don't you think?

Billyboy69, Withdean says...
5:24pm Wed 27 Jan 10

Yes very sad for parents.
Apart from the sadness part of this story are the Argus reporters short on stories or have they come from the Express, as they always come up with "Glamorous" headlines.
As regards the so called Swine Flu a docton on BBC tv last week said " The Government will not be happy with me, but Swine Flu has virtually gone".
This Swine Flu was blown out of all proportion. The normal flu we get every year is far more serious.

Bruce A Smith, Brighton, Sussex says...
6:54pm Wed 27 Jan 10

Any death of this kind, especially in a child, is upsetting. However, it is the first from swine flu -- how many occur from other kinds of flu every year? Also, though as an old person I am regularly offered a jab against these, I do wonder how effective this procedure really is, as compared with not having a jab but keeping away from crowds and those with flu; does anyone have the statistics?

quedula, brighton says...
6:15pm Thu 28 Jan 10

The general tenor of the above posts seems to be anti-vaccinaton. I can't believe it! Back to the dark ages then . .

Txa, B&H says...
1:32pm Fri 29 Jan 10

No one is against vaccination per se. But this vaccine hasn't been tested long enough, and my children definitely are not guinea pigs (there will be plenty of others volunteering), because it just happens piles of medical suppliers are storages somewhere.

Sorry to disappoint you, but it's your 'because authority say so' attitude that belongs to the dark ages .

quedula, brighton says...
1:55pm Fri 29 Jan 10

Txa wrote:
No one is against vaccination per se. But this vaccine hasn't been tested long enough, and my children definitely are not guinea pigs (there will be plenty of others volunteering), because it just happens piles of medical suppliers are storages somewhere.

Sorry to disappoint you, but it's your 'because authority say so' attitude that belongs to the dark ages .
It is not "authority" that says so Txa, but the best evidence of medical knowledge and research. I would agree that one should be sceptical of the diktats of 'authority'.

Txa, B&H says...
2:44pm Fri 29 Jan 10

At the end of the day it's the parents who got the last say in their children wellbeing and I'm very thankful for that. So lets just agree to disagree.

445566, Aldrington says...
3:34pm Sat 30 Jan 10

quedula wrote:
Txa wrote:
Gaz the great wrote: A very sad loss for this little girls family. What i do not understand is how this story has just come to light!
Because all children under five in B&H are expected to be vaccinated with the new swine flu vaccine, that no-ones knows yet the immediate and long term side effects of this untested vaccine.
I don't understand you Txa? What are you suggesting? There is nothing in this report to suggest whether or not she was vaccinated. Scare stories about vaccines, one of the greatest medical discoveries of all time, are not useful. Thanks to vaccines, all the dreaded childhood diseases of my youth are a thing of the past. Is modern medicine less knowledgeable now than it was then?
Perhaps that don't know the girl's vaccination status because the records are unavailable and they don't have a specific enough anti-body test, but if they knew or thought she was unvaccinated they'd have mentioned it to the journalist, and it would probably be in the story, near the beginning.

The thing is sometimes vaccines "simply do not take" for some reason(s)... see
www.immunisation.nhs
.uk/FAQs/Why_arent_v
accines_100_effectiv
e

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EPIDEMIC: The swine flu virus Four-year-old dies from swine flu in Brighton

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