Fourth swine flu death recorded

Health officials in Wales have confirmed a fourth swine flu-related death.

It follows the announcement of Wales's second and third deaths on Wednesday, including a 21-year-old pregnant woman from Monmouthshire.

Her baby was delivered safely and is well, but the mother died on October 9 after deteriorating, the Welsh Assembly Government said.

It takes the total number of deaths in the UK to 93, with 76 in England, 10 in Scotland and three in Northern Ireland. Most people had underlying health conditions.

An Assembly Government spokesman confirmed the fourth death in Wales, but said no information could be released "out of courtesy" to the patient's family.

"We need to be assured that the family are aware that this information will be made public," he said.

The 21-year-old woman was admitted to Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny for a planned Caesarean section on September 25. She was later taken to the hospital's intensive care unit and then transferred to the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation centre at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester.

The death of a 43-year-old woman from Carmarthenshire was also announced on Wednesday. She had underlying health conditions and test results confirmed swine flu was not the primary cause of death.

The families of the two women asked for no further details to be released so they can be left to grieve in peace.

Wales's first swine flu-related death was on August 15 - a 55-year-old woman from Caerphilly County Borough.