Scots patient is first UK swine flu death

Published on Monday 15 June 2009 00:02

A PATIENT suffering from swine flu has died in a Scottish hospital – the first UK death from the virus and the first outside the Americas.

The victim was said to have had "underlying health conditions" and was one of ten people being treated in hospital in the Greater Glasgow area. The patient died at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

The Westminster government urged people not to panic after the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced last week that the swine flu outbreak had reached the status of pandemic – the first flu pandemic in more than 40 years. The 1968 pandemic killed more than one million people.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Government last night refused to confirm the gender or age of the person who died. She said: "With regret, we can confirm that one of the patients who had been in hospital, and had been confirmed as suffering from the H1N1 virus, has died today. The patient had underlying health conditions.

"At the family's request, to allow them to come to terms with their loss, no further details will be released."

A further 35 new cases in Scotland and 61 in England last night brought the UK total to 1,261.

There have now been 498 cases confirmed in Scotland, 752 in England, eight in Northern Ireland and three in Wales, according to figures released the Health Protection Agency and the Scottish Government. In Scotland a further 175 possible cases across the country are being investigated.

Professor Hugh Pennington, a microbiologist at Aberdeen University, moved to assure the public after news of the death that the virus had not become more dangerous. He said: "I'm not surprised. In fact, I'm more surprised there has not been a death before now."

It is the first death reported outside the Americas by the WHO in Geneva or the European Centres for Disease Control in Stockholm, which both keep tabs on confirmed cases of swine flu and deaths from the illness worldwide.

The last WHO report said that 74 countries have officially recorded 29,669 cases of swine flu, including 145 deaths in the Americas.

Prof Pennington said that with a number of people being treated in hospital for the virus, a death was, sadly, "the way these things work".

He added: "If you have had previous health problems, with lungs, heart, asthma or diabetes, then the chances are they could be greater complications for those people if they contract the virus."

However, Prof Pennington also urged the public not to worry: "I'm afraid that people might panic at this news, but they shouldn't; this death does not mean that the virus has got any worse – that it has mutated into something more sinister. The majority of people will have an uncomplicated illness but, sadly, sometimes a patient is not strong enough to pull through.

"This virus works by attacking the lungs. The most hospitals can do is monitor oxygen levels. In most cases the patient's immune system will eventually knock the virus on the head – but, sadly, in some cases this is not the case."

The largest number of new cases reported yesterday was in the greater Glasgow and Clyde area, where 32 were confirmed, with a further one case each in Highland, Forth Valley and Grampian NHS board areas.

Last night, health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "I'd like to express my condolences to the patient's family and friends. This is a tragedy for those concerned and they have my heartfelt sympathy."

She added: "Tragic though today's death is, I would like to emphasise that the vast majority of those who have H1N1 are suffering from relatively mild symptoms.

"I would reiterate that the risk to the general public remains low and we can all play our part in slowing the spread of the virus by following simple hygiene procedures – like washing your hands and using tissues when coughing or sneezing."

Earlier in the day, she had said that Scotland remained one of the best prepared countries in the world to deal with the outbreak.

Yesterday, it was announced that a South Korean group has cancelled a cultural and spiritual visit to the Outer Hebrides due to concerns about catching swine flu. The party of 15 was due to visit the islands – which have not had a recorded case of the virus – next month.

However, despite months of planning, the Koreans, from Hapsong Presbytery in Seoul have pulled out, citing the swine flu pandemic and the recession as the major reasons. The trip had been organised by the youth committee of the Lewis Presbytery of the Free Church.

The Rev Iain Campbell, pastor of Back Free Church, who had overseen the arrangements, said it was "disappointing" that the trip had been cancelled.

Charting the rapid rise and spread of the killer virus

2 APRIL: A four-year-old boy in Mexico is thought to be the first human case of the virus.

24 APRIL: Emergency World Health Organisation meeting after 16 die in Mexico and flu breaks out in California and Texas.

26 APRIL: Two Scots who had been on honeymoon in Mexico become the UK's first cases.

27 APRIL: Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Mexico.

28 APRIL: WHO warns four in ten Britons could catch the virus in the next six months, as cases of suspected swine flu in Scotland reaches 23.

29 APRIL: WHO raises official alert level to short of a pandemic.

1 MAY: Number of confirmed British cases hits 13 – including the first person to have caught the disease within the UK.

6 MAY: Confirmed cases in the UK jump to 32.

11 MAY: Ten new UK cases confirmed, bringing total to 65.

27 MAY: A man identified as a "highly probable" swine flu victim is critically ill as UK total reaches 184, including 13 in Scotland.

2 JUNE: WHO reveals virus has spread to 64 countries, causing 117 deaths.

3 JUNE: Scot is first person in the UK to become critically ill wholly due to swine flu.

10 JUNE: 47 new confirmed Scottish cases, total up to 311.

11 JUNE: WHO declares first flu pandemic in over 40 years.

12 JUNE: Biggest daily increase to date with 83 cases confirmed in Scotland, pushing total to 420 – 42 per cent of the UK total.

14 JUNE: Patient in Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley becomes first victim outside the Americas to die of the virus.