Swine flu mortality rate in the Czech Republic among highest in EU

The Czech Republic has one of the highest rates of swine flu mortality in the EU, according to a report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Since October the country has seen 102 deaths in which swine flu was a factor. So far more than 65,000 people have been inoculated, and roughly 30% of the available vaccine has been used. The head of the Czech Immunology Society Roman Prymula said that one of the reasons for the higher-than-average death rate was the fact that Czech authorities have been particularly astute in determining whether the H1N1 virus was a contributing factor in cases. Other countries, such as Sweden, meanwhile, have suffered higher infection rates than the Czech Republic but seen a lower number of swine flu deaths due to more widespread vaccination.