Influenza A linked to death of woman
August 20, 2007
A 74-YEAR-OLD woman has become South Australia’s latest official death linked to influenza.
The woman, who died at an undisclosed Adelaide hospital yesterday morning, had a number of pre-existing illnesses.
The Health Department refused to give further details but said the death was not in the same category as others, as she had been “in and out of hospital for some weeks with a range of infections”.
Australia’s death toll from the killer influenza A virus includes nine otherwise healthy adults and children – some of whom died in a matter of hours, after the first signs of getting a cold.
South Australia’s first – a 48-year-old receptionist who died at the Royal Adelaide Hospital on Tuesday – worked at a doctor’s surgery in Adelaide’s northern suburbs.
The Australian Medical Association revealed the region yesterday, but refused to give the surgery’s location, despite earlier arguing it was wrong to censor the information.
AMA state president Dr Peter Ford said chief medical officer Professor Chris Baggoley should release the information.
“I can see you might say I might be making contradictory statements – and that’s for you to do,” Dr Ford said yesterday. “I think it’s not up to me to divulge something that’s been given to me confidentially.”
In a statement, the Health Department says it would not normally be notified of an elderly woman’s death from influenza but health authorities are alerting the public to encourage awareness.
With at least six weeks remaining of the flu season, authorities are urging the public to get vaccinated.
Nationally, it is estimated about 1500 people die of influenza and complications each year.
