H1N1 FLU: SEVEN DEATHS BRING TOLL TO 75

H1N1 FLU: SEVEN DEATHS BRING TOLL TO 75

(ANSA) - Rome, November 19 - Seven people who died with H1N1 flu virus on Thursday brought the pandemic's death toll in Italy to 75.

According to doctors, all of the victims suffered from serious pre-existing health problems aggravated by flu infections.

Three of the victims died in Naples bring the number of flu deaths in the Campania region to 28, the highest in Italy, despite having only the fifth highest estimated rate of infection.

Amid rising fears over the vaccine, which some say was rushed to the market without sufficient testing, the World Health Organization said none of the 65 million vaccinations administered so far had caused someone to die.

Junior Health Minister Ferruccio Fazio reminded Italians that while the H1N1 virus's mortality rate remained significantly lower than seasonal influenza, "we're up against a pandemic, which means we've got to vaccinate as many people as possible".

With over five million doses of the vaccine expected in Italian hospitals by the end of the month, Fazio urged parents to inoculate small children.

Fazio upbraided pediatricians who have advised patients against getting vaccinated, saying babies were a conduit for the pandemic "which has to be stopped before it mutates or crosses with a more dangerous virus like the bird flu".

Earlier this week, the health ministry estimated that there are over 1.5 million cases of the flu in Italy, which is expected to peak around the holiday season.