No need to panic over swine flu death, say health chiefs

Published on Friday 28 August 2009 11:05

HEALTH experts are urging people in the Lothians not to panic in the wake of Edinburgh's first swine flu-related death.

The 52-year-old man died in the Western General Hospital on Wednesday night, making him the seventh person to die in Scotland after contracting the virus.

Health chiefs maintain the pandemic is under control and, in the Lothians, the number of people going to GPs in the Lothians with flu symptoms has fallen by 68 in the last week, from 300 to 232.

The patient who died in Edinburgh, understood to be from the Lothians, had "significant underlying health problems". Councillor Lesley Hinds, Labour's health spokeswoman, whose ward takes in the Western General, said: "My thoughts go out to the family of this man.

"Everyone does get concerned when someone actually dies but we do need to remember that he had a serious medical condition.

"People really shouldn't panic, they should just keep taking the precautions given out by government and contact NHS 24 if they have any symptoms."

The total number of deaths linked to swine flu in the UK now stands at 66, following the patient's death in the Western General.

There have been 57 deaths in England, most of them in London, alongside one in Wales and one in Northern Ireland.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon extended sincere condolences" to the latest victim's family.

But she added: "As we have seen in previous cases, this patient was suffering from underlying health conditions and his death should not cause alarm among the general population.

"Fortunately in the vast majority of cases, most people have fairly mild symptoms and make a full recovery within a week. But it's important that you get the help you need as quickly as possible if you believe you are at greater risk."

NHS Lothian declined to comment on the death, refusing to release any further details at the family's request.

Margaret Watt, chairwoman of the Scotland Patients Association, said: "I was with Nicola (Sturgeon] at a committee meeting and she said swine flu is under control at the moment, so people have no need to worry. This death is obviously unfortunate, but he had a complex medical condition."

Health chiefs have already discussed mobilising the Lothians' medical students to pitch in with any mass vaccination process has been discussed at board level.

Planning for a doomsday situation has also seen health chiefs warn that at the virus' very worst there could be up to 2,000 deaths a week in the Lothians, with 50 per cent of the region's workforce being off sick and up to a third of people infected.