First North Coast swine flu death

BASE HOSPITAL: A 61-year-old Lennox Head grandmother died there on Saturday from swine flu.

LOCAL health authorities are warning there will be more swine flu-related deaths on the North Coast after a Lennox Head grandmother died carrying the virus on the weekend.

Denise Margaret McKinnon, 61, who had underlying medical conditions, died in Lismore Base Hospital on Saturday and subsequently tested positive for carrying H1N1 influenza.

“That’s the first one (on the North Coast) who’s deceased and tested positive,” North Coast Area Health Service assistant director of public health, Greg Bell, said.

“The H1N1 flu has been found to be circulating around the community,” he said.

And, with 44 confirmed cases of the virus in the area and another eight suspected cases over the weekend, people who have pre-existing medical problems that weaken their immune systems needed to be careful, he warned.

“There’s every chance we’ll lose more people from H1N1,” Mr Bell said.

“It’s starting to circulate locally and people who fall into this category of being severely unwell, they need to get onto their own GPs.”

Mrs McKinnon is the fourth death in NSW where swine flu was found to be present.

Since Saturday, another two patients in a Sydney hospital have died with suspected swine flu.

Across Australia, 21 people with confirmed swine flu have died and 2029 people have tested positive for the virus in NSW.

“Most weekends we are getting eight to 10 people coming through,” Mr Bell said of the North Coast area.

“It’s not always the traditional very young and very old, which makes it a bit more of a worry,” he said.

More information at www.health.nsw.gov.au.