Sharp rise in swine flu cases in Scotland

Published on Wednesday 10 June 2009 18:40

FORTY-seven new cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the biggest daily increase so far in Scotland, it was announced today.

The increase takes the total number of confirmed cases to 311.

Three healthcare workers are among the newly-confirmed cases, taking to 11 the total number of doctors and nurses with the bug.

A further 522 possible cases are under investigation, including a prisoner in Barlinnie jail in Glasgow.

Only 15 of the possible cases are travel-related.

The prisoner, who is believed to have had contact with a swine flu victim in Paisley, is being kept in isolation in a single cell, officials said.

His identity, and the sentence he is serving, have not been disclosed.

Of today's newly-confirmed cases, nearly all – 41 – are from the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area.

Ten patients are in hospital, of whom three are believed to be in intensive care at Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital.

The Scottish Government said there had also been confirmed cases in three primary schools and one high school – St David's Primary and Cochrane Castle Primary, both in Johnstone, Lorne Street Primary in Glasgow, and Port Glasgow High School in Inverclyde.

Children from the primary schools, and some sixth-year pupils from the high school, had been asked to stay at home for seven days and had been issued with Tamiflu.

Scotland's Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who will make a statement tomorrow in the Scottish Parliament, said: said: "As expected, the number of confirmed cases in Scotland is continuing to rise.

"However the vast majority of these remain confined to particular areas."

She went on: "We are still pursuing a strategy of containment to slow down the spread of the virus.

"Where we have increased spread of infection and increased numbers of cases, we have been discussing how to refine that strategy.

"This Government has been working hard to make sure that as a county, we are as fully prepared as possible for what lies ahead, and I would like to thank our public health teams for their excellent response."