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Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1196052/Girl-9-person-Britain-die-swine-flu.html
Girl, 9, becomes third person in Britain to die of swine flu
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:47 PM on 29th June 2009
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A nine-year-old girl with underlying health problems has died after contracting swine flu, a hospital said today.
The girl's death comes just two days after a pensioner in Scotland became the second patient outside the Americas to die from swine flu.
The 73-year-old man from Greenock in Scotland succumbed to the H1N1 strain of the virus on Saturday.
He died in the intensive care unit of Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital.
It followed the death earlier this month of Jacqueline Fleming, a 38-year-old mother of three from Glasgow.
Health officials confirmed that, like the first victim, the pensioner was suffering from an underlying medical condition. However, they would not reveal its nature.
The man, who is not being named at the request of his family, died just over two weeks after being admitted.
In a statement, his family said: 'Our beloved relative was private in life and we would ask that his privacy continues to be respected as we try to come to terms with our loss.'
Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon was at pains to reassure the public that those who are in good health have little to fear from the H1N1 strain.
She said: 'Although it is concerning that the patient had swine flu, we are aware that he had very serious underlying health issues.
'It's important to remember that the vast majority of those who have H1N1 are suffering from relatively mild symptoms.
'I would like to offer my reassurance that the risk to the public remains low but would also urge everyone to do what they can to help slow the spread of the virus by remembering to follow simple hygiene procedures.'
Two weeks ago, Miss Fleming, from Thornliebank, died 24 hours before the death of her newborn son, Jack, whose birth was induced three months prematurely by doctors.
She had lapsed into a coma and doctors took the step in a vain effort to save her child, Jack, who weighed just 3lbs. The baby had not been suffering from swine flu.
But like the elderly patient, the newborn's mother, who already had sons aged 18 and 11, had serious underlying medical conditions on admittance to the Renfrewshire hospital, which has been dealing with a 'cluster' of swine flu patients.
She was suffering from double pneumonia and a stroke related condition.
It also emerged this weekend that three people, including a student from Edinburgh University, who were attending the Glastonbury Festival, had been diagnosed with suspected swine flu.
Two students and a 10-year-old child from a family of four showed symptoms of the illness when examined by festival medical staff.
They were moved off the site and into an isolation facility, but were subsequently sent home.
There are now 4,251 laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu in the UK - 850 in Scotland, 3,364 in England and 24 in Northern Ireland.
On June 11, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global flu pandemic, meaning that the swine flu virus was spreading in at least two regions of the world.
Officials stressed that this did not mean the virus was causing more severe illness or more deaths.
But, according to the latest figures from the WHO, there have been 263 deaths from all strains of swine flu and nearly 60,000 cases in 100 countries and territories.
Girl, 9, becomes third person in Britain to die of swine flu
By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:47 PM on 29th June 2009
* Comments (12)
* Add to My Stories
A nine-year-old girl with underlying health problems has died after contracting swine flu, a hospital said today.
The girl's death comes just two days after a pensioner in Scotland became the second patient outside the Americas to die from swine flu.
The 73-year-old man from Greenock in Scotland succumbed to the H1N1 strain of the virus on Saturday.
He died in the intensive care unit of Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital.
It followed the death earlier this month of Jacqueline Fleming, a 38-year-old mother of three from Glasgow.
Health officials confirmed that, like the first victim, the pensioner was suffering from an underlying medical condition. However, they would not reveal its nature.
The man, who is not being named at the request of his family, died just over two weeks after being admitted.
In a statement, his family said: 'Our beloved relative was private in life and we would ask that his privacy continues to be respected as we try to come to terms with our loss.'
Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon was at pains to reassure the public that those who are in good health have little to fear from the H1N1 strain.
She said: 'Although it is concerning that the patient had swine flu, we are aware that he had very serious underlying health issues.
'It's important to remember that the vast majority of those who have H1N1 are suffering from relatively mild symptoms.
'I would like to offer my reassurance that the risk to the public remains low but would also urge everyone to do what they can to help slow the spread of the virus by remembering to follow simple hygiene procedures.'
Two weeks ago, Miss Fleming, from Thornliebank, died 24 hours before the death of her newborn son, Jack, whose birth was induced three months prematurely by doctors.
She had lapsed into a coma and doctors took the step in a vain effort to save her child, Jack, who weighed just 3lbs. The baby had not been suffering from swine flu.
But like the elderly patient, the newborn's mother, who already had sons aged 18 and 11, had serious underlying medical conditions on admittance to the Renfrewshire hospital, which has been dealing with a 'cluster' of swine flu patients.
She was suffering from double pneumonia and a stroke related condition.
It also emerged this weekend that three people, including a student from Edinburgh University, who were attending the Glastonbury Festival, had been diagnosed with suspected swine flu.
Two students and a 10-year-old child from a family of four showed symptoms of the illness when examined by festival medical staff.
They were moved off the site and into an isolation facility, but were subsequently sent home.
There are now 4,251 laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu in the UK - 850 in Scotland, 3,364 in England and 24 in Northern Ireland.
On June 11, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared a global flu pandemic, meaning that the swine flu virus was spreading in at least two regions of the world.
Officials stressed that this did not mean the virus was causing more severe illness or more deaths.
But, according to the latest figures from the WHO, there have been 263 deaths from all strains of swine flu and nearly 60,000 cases in 100 countries and territories.