No evidence has been found connecting the human swine flu vaccination to an intrauterine death involving a 37-year-old woman.

Centre for Health Protection Controller Dr Thomas Tsang said today the woman, at 28 weeks of gestation, was suffering from a medical condition and was on medication. She was inoculated in December and passed an examination performed at a maternal and child-health centre on January 5. On January 19 she was admitted to Tuen Mun Hospital and intrauterine death was confirmed. She is now stable.

Dr Tsang said the centre's scientific committee investigated the case and found no evidence the death was related to the vaccine.

Inoculation urged

The committee still recommends children aged six months to up to six years, the elderly aged 65 or more, pregnant women, chronic patients and people in the pig-farming industry get vaccinated as their risk of complications from human swine flu is higher than the chance of suffering adverse effects from the inoculation.

Since the December 21 start of the vaccination programme, there have been 34 serious cases of the disease causing seven deaths. None of the patients were vaccinated, Dr Tsang said.

About 72% of the city's swine-flu patients were children, the elderly and chronic patients. The chance of people from the five high-risk groups of suffering serious conditions from the virus is seven times higher than other people.

A University of Hong Kong study found 54% of patients aged below 15 have developed anti-bodies, therefore the centre's scientific committee have not recommended expanding the vaccination programme to primary students.

Dr Tsang said the centre will closely monitor the programme.

Meanwhile, two patients with human swine flu have died.

A 57-year-old woman with diabetes attended Caritas Medical Centre's Accident & Emergency Department December 16 with a fever and cough. She had pneumonia symptoms and was admitted to the intensive care unit.

She tested positive for human swine flu on the same day and was prescribed Tamiflu and antibiotics. She required ventilation support and died today at 12.19am.

A 47-year-old man with a good health history attended Queen Elizabeth Hospital's Accident & Emergency Department November 29 with flu symptoms.

He was admitted to the isolation ward and was prescribed Tamiflu and antibiotics. He tested positive for human swine flu November 30. He was transferred to the intensive care unit December 3 and required ventilation support. His condition remained critical and he died yesterday.