No need for alarm over latest swine flu deaths - Sturgeon

Published on Monday 13 July 2009 18:28

PEOPLE in Scotland should not be alarmed by today's report of the death of a six-year-old girl with swine flu in England, the Health Secretary said.

Nicola Sturgeon said for many swine flu would be a "mild illness" and in some cases milder than seasonal flu but it was not possible to predict "with any certainty" what will happen in the future.

Chloe Buckley, from north west London, and Bedfordshire GP, Dr Michael Day, died after suffering from the virus which is sweeping the UK.

Speaking during a visit to thank health protection teams at NHS Glasgow and Clyde's headquarters, Ms Sturgeon said: "We are beginning to see things level off in the hot spot areas including Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

"But we remain very vigilant. We do anticipate further spread of the flu virus but what we are absolutely confident about is that we continue to be very well prepared for that.

"I think everybody in Scotland should be very reassured that all the evidence so far says that for the vast majority of people this is a mild illness. In many cases milder even than normal seasonal flu."

Ms Sturgeon also said health services were "not complacent" and that no "formal decisions" had been made on a list of who should have priority when the vaccine arrives.

Praising Scotland's NHS staff, she said: "The health service has done an incredible job dealing with pandemic flu – not only here in Glasgow, where they've seen the most cases so far, but across the country.

"In the early days of this outbreak it wasn't clear how the virus would behave or how it would spread. During those early weeks Scotland's health protection teams worked exceptionally hard to find and treat people at risk, and advise everyone else on sensible precautions."