Doctors are stumped as to how Bermuda's two fatal flu victims contracted the virus, with health officials revealing yesterday that relatives of the pair have not fallen sick.

The Department of Health announced on Wednesday that two Bermudians with influenza had died since December 19 with one confirmed as a swine flu (or H1N1) fatality.

But officials are refusing to give out any information which could identify the patients including whether the deaths happened on the Island or overseas for fear of causing panic in the community.

Department of Health spokeswoman told The Royal Gazette that the public could be assured that there was no epidemic in Bermuda or any recorded transmission of H1N1 between individuals here, unlike in other countries.

"It is important to note that there is no H1N1 epidemic in Bermuda," she said. "We cannot equate our situation here in Bermuda with what is going on in other countries because our deaths have been single cases. "As Bermuda is a small place, it would be unfair for the Ministry to provide any information that might identify the deceased persons or their families."If someone died overseas or if someone died here, that's not a secret in the community.

Anything that would identify them the Ministry of Health regards it as confidential."

The spokeswoman said it was not known whether the two people who died contracted the virus overseas or on holiday, adding: "No other members of their families had been sick.

"The names of fatal flu victims are often not revealed by officials elsewhere in the world for privacy reasons, but their ages and gender are usually given, along with confirmation of where they died.Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson said last night:

"Once you put a shroud of mystery on a situation that's usually dealt with in other countries in a forthright way to inform the public, then you do cause unease."No one is interested in personal details but it is, I think, in the public interest to know the ages and the whereabouts or circumstances of the deaths."Were nurseries or schools or rest homes the sites of infection? I don't know why this is a secret.

It's a matter of the public being able to protect itself by knowledge."The Island has had 25 laboratory confirmed cases of the 2009 strain of H1N1, with 11 people hospitalised since May. The World Health Organisation has reported more than 12,000 deaths worldwide from H1N1.

A vaccine will be available to all from January 18 at the Hamilton Health Centre. Visit www.health.gov.bm for more information.