Swine flu fears lead to rise in numbers contacting their GP

Published on Friday 31 July 2009 10:02

INCREASING numbers of people are contacting their GP fearing they have swine flu, latest figures have shown.

But health chiefs have said the vast majority of those are testing negative for flu, meaning people in the Lothians are still at a relatively low risk of catching the bug.

In the last week, nearly 450 people reported flu-like symptoms to their GP.

Of these, about 10 per cent are likely to have actually had it, and almost all would have recovered at home in a degree of comfort.

The H1N1 virus has claimed four lives in Scotland, but none of those have been in the Lothians.

The Evening News revealed last week how local health chiefs were planning for a worst-case scenario of 2,000 people a week dying and 50 per cent being off work in the Lothians. However, it looks increasingly unlikely, with health secretary Nicola Sturgeon stating "the rate of people testing positive for H1N1 remains stable".