"There have been no evidence or data which shows anti-viral medications or vaccines are harmful to pregnant women and their unborn babies," said DOH Deputy Minister Chang Shan-chwen.

Chang, who concurrently serves as deputy chief of the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), made the comments after a 23-year-old pregnant woman died along with her unborn baby on Sunday after she refused to take Tamiflu to treat flu-like symptoms.

The woman, who resided in the eastern county of Taitung, developed a fever on Sept. 15 and sought treatment at the Guanshan branch of Tzu Chi Hospital on Sept. 17 after her symptoms worsened.

She later tested positive for swine flu, officially known as influenza A(H1N1), according to Taitung County health officials.

The woman, however, refused to take Tamiflu as she was eight months pregnant, fearing it would hurt her fetus.

She was transferred to the Taitung branch of Mackay Memorial Hospital on Sept. 18, where she again tested positive for H1N1 in another test.

Thinking Tamiflu would be harmful to her baby, the woman continued to refuse the drug, leading to a rapid deterioration of her health.

A posthumous laboratory test at the DOH's Centers for Disease Control (CDC) confirmed Monday that the woman was indeed infected with the swine flu virus. The woman, surnamed Yu, became Taiwan's 17th swine flu fatality.

"We feel deep regret over the woman and her unborn baby's death," said Chang. "While some pregnant women are reluctant to take anti-viral medication or receive vaccination for fears of hurting their babies, such worries are unfounded because there has been no evidence showing such an effect." Pregnant women are among people at high-risk of developing severe symptoms after being infected with the swine flu virus.

Earlier in the day, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ting said the swine flu outbreak in Taiwan has shown signs of subsiding in the past two weeks.

"The slowing trend is encouraging, indicating that the '325' class suspension criteria introduced by the education ministry has been effective in helping to contain the disease," said Lin.

The "325" criteria means that any class in which two students develop flu-like symptoms in three days should be closed for five days.

"We were worried that the re-opening of local schools in early September after the summer break would escalate the outbreak, but developments over the past two weeks show that our '325' prevention strategy is working well and that schools at all levels have been strictly following the regulations," Lin said.

However, he advised people, particularly people in high-risk groups, to remain cautious and to practice good hygiene, including frequent hand washing, to avoid catching the virus.

Meanwhile, the CECC reported that two more swine flu patients have been hospitalized as of Monday for treatment of severe symptoms, bringing to 271 the total number of such cases recorded in Taiwan.

That figure included 17 fatalities and 48 patients who are still recuperating in hospitals, with the others having recovered and been discharged.

While the outbreak in Taiwan has shown signs of abating, further observation is needed to track the virus' future developments, CECC officials said.

(By Sofia Wu)