Ten deaths in East Yorkshire swine flu outbreak

The number of people with swine flu who have died in East Yorkshire so far this winter has risen to 10.

Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust said nine of the 10 people had other underlying health problems.

One had no previous health issues and swine flu was said to have been a contributory factor in their death.

Five of those who died were men and five were women. No children were among the dead, the trust added. New national figures are to be released later.

The latest number of deaths in England, Wales and Scotland this winter from flu verified by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) was 50, with 45 of these due to swine flu. It can take time for deaths reported by local trusts to be verified and added to the national figures.

Operations cancelledThe East Yorkshire figures are for deaths at Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham. They do not include hospitals in Goole and Beverley.

More than 200 people have so far been admitted to the hospitals with suspected swine flu since 1 December, with 84 cases confirmed.

The outbreak has meant the trust has been forced to cancel some major operations to keep intensive care beds free.

In December, 168 operations were postponed and up to Tuesday, 50 operations had been postponed in January.

The trust carries out about 7,100 planned operations each month, which includes major surgery.