No inquests into swine flu deaths
Updated on 09 July 2009
There will be no inquests into the deaths of two people from south London who died after contracting swine flu.
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice said it was not necessary for coroners to hold inquests into deaths linked to the virus.
"There's no requirement to hold an inquest into a natural death," she said.
"Deaths from swine flu would be regarded by coroners as natural."
A nine-year-old girl, from south London, died after contracting the illness earlier this month.
She had a history of ill health and was the second person in the capital to die.
The first, a 19-year-old man from south London, had serious underlying health problems.
Although it is not a requirement to hold an inquest, individual coroners may choose to do so if they are uncertain about the exact cause of death.
Aiden Cotter, Birmingham and Solihull's coroner, is holding an inquest into the death of six-year-old Sameerah Ahmad.
She was born with a rare life-threatening disease and died at Birmingham's Children's Hospital in June after contracting swine flu.
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