Scot is first 'healthy' person in UK to become critically ill with swine flu

Published on Tuesday 2 June 2009 22:01

A SCOTTISH man has become the first person in the UK to become critically ill wholly because of swine flu. The man, 45, from Paisley, is one of two new critical cases being treated in intensive care at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Renfrewshire.

The development is significant as he is the first person to become seriously ill without already having other health problems. The other new case is a 38-year-old woman who has underlying health problems.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon, who said both patients were "critical but stable" with the H1N1 virus, warned that the public should expect a sharp increase in the number of cases.

"I would expect over the course of the next couple of days and perhaps the next couple of weeks that the numbers of cases will continue to increase significantly," she said.

The development came as the number of confirmed cases of H1N1 in Scotland increased to 65 – more than trebling in just 48 hours. It also came as the World Health Organisation cautioned that a full flu pandemic was moving closer as cases continued to spread in communities, including across the UK.

The Health Protection Agency said 61 more people in England had been confirmed with swine flu. This brings the total number affected in the UK to 362.

Ms Sturgeon said 18 of the new cases in Scotland were linked to the Dunoon area, where a bus of Rangers supporters returned from a match in Dundee with passengers experiencing flu symptoms.

There are a further 30 possible cases – 24 of them not linked to overseas travel and most connected to the Dunoon area. One probable case is linked to a 37-year-old man who remains critically ill in Glasgow's Victoria Infirmary after being confirmed with the virus last week.

The two new critical cases – the man from Paisley and the woman from Glasgow – do not appear to be connected to each other, or to any other confirmed cases or overseas travel.

Fears were growing last night that the virus may have spread through the shinty community after a Kyles Athletic player was confirmed as having swine flu. Three members of the team have been tested.

It is thought a member of the team was in a Dunoon pub with some of the Rangers fans who were on the bus that returned from the match against Dundee United on 24 May.

Shinty's ruling body, the Camanachd Association, has cancelled Saturday's Camanachd Cup quarter-final between Kyles and Oban Camanachd.

Ms Sturgeon said that, although the 45-year-old man was not known to have underlying health conditions, "I would stress that his condition is still subject to investigation by the medical teams".

She sought to reassure the public as the situation in Scotland appeared to grow more serious. She added: "

In the overwhelming majority of cases people with the virus are experiencing relatively mild symptoms and there is no reason to believe that that would change."

The chief medical officer, Dr Harry Burns, said he was not aware of any patients in England with swine flu who had been in intensive care without any other underlying health conditions.