Fears for wife and three children of 'critical' swine flu patient

Published on Wednesday 27 May 2009 21:59

THE wife and three children of a Scottish swine flu victim probably also have the virus, it emerged last night.

The 37-year-old man from Glasgow is being treated in the city's Victoria Hospital after he was identified as Scotland's 14th case.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon revealed yesterday that nine people are being investigated and that the man's wife and children are being treated as "probable" cases.

The three children attend Shawlands Academy and Annette Street Primary in Glasgow. Both schools will remain open as the children were not at school while unwell. Public health staff will be on hand today at the schools to offer advice to parents.

A member of the man's extended family, who was being treated as a possible case of swine flu, has been given the all-clear.

The five other possible cases of swine flu in Scotland are travel-related.

Ms Sturgeon stressed that the threat to the general population in Scotland remains low. She added: "Robust risk assessments have been undertaken with regard to both schools involved.

"Clearly, this is a very unfortunate set of circumstances for this individual."

Ms Sturgeon said her thoughts and best wishes were with the man and his family, adding: "It should be noted, however, that this individual has some very significant underlying health problems and it is not yet clear to what extent his infection with the H1N1 virus may have been a contributory factor to his condition.

"Most people have had only a mild reaction to the virus and our efforts to contain its spread have so far proved successful.

"Of course, we cannot be complacent, especially since the virus continues to spread worldwide and there is also the risk that the virus might mutate and become more virulent."

Earlier, Ms Sturgeon told the Scottish Parliament: "We have to be prepared for an illness that might affect large numbers of people with symptoms that, although mild, might see them confined to bed for a few days."

MSPs were also told that finance secretary John Swinney has written to the UK Treasury asking for funds to cover the costs of tackling the virus, including stockpiles of antivirals and facemasks.

"It is our view that these additional costs should be met from UK contingency funds," Ms Sturgeon said.

"John Swinney has written to the Treasury setting out the case, as have the finance ministers of Wales and Northern Ireland, and we await a response."

Yesterday, one other case of swine flu was confirmed in the East Midlands, bringing the total in the UK to 186. There have been 171 cases confirmed in England, with 14 in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland.

The World Health Organisation's global swine flu tally yesterday stood at 13,398 laboratory-confirmed cases and 95 deaths – though it is thought that at least 100 people have died worldwide.

Last night, an official in Germany said tests had confirmed that two passengers prevented from boarding airplanes in Dsseldorf were suffering from swine flu. A two-year-old German girl and a 22-year-old Norwegian both arrived on a flight from New York and were prevented from travelling to their final destinations after doctors suspected they might be ill.