Swedish politician dies of swine flu
Liberal Party politician Jan-Erik Brohede has died of a swine flu-related illness at the age of 48, newspaper Nerikes Allehanda reports.
Brohede was found dead in his home in Örebro in central Sweden on Saturday after suffering a major heart attack. According to medical officials, Brohede belonged to one of the groups considered most at risk of contracting swine flu, and it is believed that the virus contributed directly to his death.
"He had several of the risk factors that could cause a serious bout of influenza," Örebro county medical advisor Mats Björeman told the newspaper.
Björeman added that the politician had not been in contact with health authorities and was not vaccinated against the virus.
Örebro county health board is urging everybody in a risk group to quickly get vaccinated against the swine flu, which it says has spread rapidly both in the county and nationwide over the last week. People at greatest risk of becoming seriously ill include pregnant women, children under the age of two, diabetics, and patients with heart and lung diseases.
Brohede's death brings the number of confirmed swine-flu related deaths in Sweden to three. The two previous casualties also belonged to groups considered most at risk.
A three-year-old boy also died at the weekend after contracting the A/H1N1 virus, but it is not yet known whether it contributed directly to his death.
According to official statistics, there were 2,126 recorded cases of swine flu in Sweden by the beginning of this week.
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Brohede was found dead in his home in Örebro in central Sweden on Saturday after suffering a major heart attack. According to medical officials, Brohede belonged to one of the groups considered most at risk of contracting swine flu, and it is believed that the virus contributed directly to his death.
"He had several of the risk factors that could cause a serious bout of influenza," Örebro county medical advisor Mats Björeman told the newspaper.
Björeman added that the politician had not been in contact with health authorities and was not vaccinated against the virus.
Örebro county health board is urging everybody in a risk group to quickly get vaccinated against the swine flu, which it says has spread rapidly both in the county and nationwide over the last week. People at greatest risk of becoming seriously ill include pregnant women, children under the age of two, diabetics, and patients with heart and lung diseases.
Brohede's death brings the number of confirmed swine-flu related deaths in Sweden to three. The two previous casualties also belonged to groups considered most at risk.
A three-year-old boy also died at the weekend after contracting the A/H1N1 virus, but it is not yet known whether it contributed directly to his death.
According to official statistics, there were 2,126 recorded cases of swine flu in Sweden by the beginning of this week.
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