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02. 11. 09. - 16:00

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02. 11. 09. - 16:00

Swine flu girl's condition worsens, doctors say

By Lisa Chapman

The condition of an 11-year-old girl from South Tyrol hospitalised in Innsbruck with swine flu has worsened, doctors said today (Mon).

They added the situation of her circulatory system had "clearly worsened" and her lungs had stopped functioning. She is on a heart-lung machine to supply her with necessary oxygen.

They said her condition was "extremely critical".

A Vienna doctor said last week that the girl might be suffering from a super bacteriological infection of the lungs as well as swine flu.

The girl – from South Tyrol, Italy – was hospitalised at Bolzano hospital two weeks ago with breathing difficulties and a high temperature before being transferred to Innsbruck at the end of the week after her lungs had collapsed.

She had been at Innsbruck Children’s Clinic since 23 October.

Meanwhile doctors say they are cautiously optimistic about two other seriously-ill swine flu patients.

Doctors at Hanusch Hospital in Vienna where an 18-year-old pregnant woman has been in intensive care since last Thursday said her breathing was now better and her situation, although still critical, had stabilised.

A spokeswoman for Salzburg provincial clinic said a 41-year-old German man who was hospitalised there last Wednesday with swine flu and a serious bacterial lung infection was "better" although still in an artificial coma.

He had been responding well to antibiotics for combating multi-organ sepsis, she added.

Swine flu also caused the closure of a school last week. East Tyrol authorities closed a school in Lienz for a week on Wednesday after 26 students were struck down with suspected swine flu.

Meanwhile, Austria’s 280,000 health-care personnel began to receive vaccinations against swine flu on Tuesday last week.

The vaccination of the 600,000 people at high risk – pregnant women and the chronically-ill – is set to begin on 9 November.

Health authorities say they have enough vaccine for 800,000 to be vaccinated by the end of November."

The ministry has received 520,000 doses of pharmaceutical firm Baxter’s "Celvapan" swine flu vaccine and will receive additional doses at the rate of 200,000 a week.

Health-insurance funds will cover the cost of the vaccinations except for a fee of 4.90 Euros a dose. Doctors recommend that people receive two doses of the vaccine three weeks apart.

Austrian Times

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