Pregnant 17-year-old from Scottish Borders dies of swine flu

Published on Thursday 15 October 2009 13:52

A PREGNANT Scottish teenager has died after contracting the swine flu virus.

The Scottish Government today confirmed that the 17-year-old, who has not been identified, is from the Borders and had died in the last 24 hours.

It is not known whether the teenager had any underlying health problems.

Only one person in Scotland - Bill Anderson, 53, from Fife - has died from swine flu without suffering health problems prior to contracting the virus.

Scotland's Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "The death of this young mother-to-be and her baby is deeply saddening and my thoughts are with her family and friends.

"Medical experts have been telling us that pregnant women are more vulnerable to developing complications after contracting the virus. For this reason, they will be among the priority groups for vaccination when the H1N1 vaccine becomes available later this month.

"I would urge all pregnant women to get vaccinated to ensure the maximum protection for themselves and their babies."

The death of the 17-year-old takes the number of people who have died from the virus in Scotland to 15.