Death toll rises in Naples

Other two fatal cases of swine flu occurred in Naples, Corriere del Mezzogiorno reports. A 42 years old, overweight woman died today at Cotugno Hospital, while a 72 years old woman, with respiratory disease died yesterday at Cardarelli Hospital. So the death toll in Naples has risen to 8. Italian newspapers are reporting all the deaths caused by the H1N1 virus, and maybe this can be alarming for the general public. The Deputy Minister of Health Ferruccio Fazio keeps assuring that all the people who died were already ill, and that healthy people should not worry. Another big issue is the vaccine campaign: in the past days Professor Fazio has blamed on local authorities for the delays in the vaccine distribution, while praising the producer, Novartis, for having sent the first batch of two million doses in advance of a fortnight.

Quite surprisingly, nobody talks about antiviral drugs. Maybe this is good luck for the Ministry. According to a study, "the antivirals stockpiled in Italy are sufficient to treat only 7 million individuals, corresponding to the 12% of the population." 

Swine flu, first child's death in Italy

Today Italian media report about a child  who died in Naples on Friday after has been infected by A(H1N1) influenza virus. The child, a 11-years old girl, was cardiopathic. According to Il Mattino newspaper, it's the first child victim of the pandemic.
Anxiety is now spreading fast among population in Naples, while a lot of people in the high-risk list can't still get the shot of the vaccine. Censis, a public opinion research institute, has released a study about the pandemic. It says that more than 61 per cent of Italians aren't worried by the pandemic (but in South Italy only 51%). People were asked at the beginning of last August, so maybe someone have changed idea about the flu.

More cases all over Italy

The H1N1 virus is spreading in Italy and it's more difficult to keep track of what is going on. Three fatal cases in North Italy: an old woman afflicted by pneumonia in Milan, a young man afflicted by TB in Ferrara, another woman in Rimini. A woman died in Rome and three men in Naples, a 64 years old doctor, a 50 years old afflicted by obesity, a 73 years old doctor already afflicted by pulmonary disease. All the news from Corriere della Sera newspaper. So, now the deaths caused by the virus are 12. On Monday the Lombardia health system will start the second part of the vaccine campaign, for pregnant women and young (under 17 years) people with chronic disease. In other parts of Italy the campaign is still focused on health care workers. This evening the flu news were on tv, on channel Rai 1 (link, in Italian). Health authorities continue to repeat that this flu is a mild one, and that it affects only ill people.
It seems to me that there's a lot of pressure to stop people panicking, and not such an effort to protect people with illness. Maybe I just find irritating, when someone infected by the virus dies, the comment: “the patient was already ill.”

Flu death in Naples

More details about the patient who died yesterday in Naples after being infected by H1N1 flu virus. He was a doctor, affected by anaemia, obesity and cardiac disease. On Monday he was admitted at Cotugno Hospital because of pneumonia. According the local newspaper Il Mattino, he didn't got vaccination because the regional health units have run out of the doses, primarily used for health care workers. The Italian Deputy Minister of Health Ferruccio Fazio said in an interview that the pandemic has started off and that in some part of Italy,, especially in South Italy, the vaccination campaign is late.
Personally, I don't understand who is late, the vaccine manufacturer, the national health structure or the local one.