Critically ill patient with swine flu sent to England

Published on Thursday 24 September 2009 22:13

A CRITICALLY ill swine flu patient from Scotland has been sent for specialist blood treatment in England, it was announced yesterday.

The news came as the Scottish Government announced a rise in the weekly number of people being treated for the virus, mainly among children aged 14 and under.

The patient from Lanarkshire is undergoing a procedure where blood is circulated outside the patient's body and oxygen added artificially.

The same treatment – extra corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) – was giving to pregnant mother Sharon Pentleton in July after she suffered an extreme reaction to the H1N1 virus. Ms Pentleton, who made a full recovery, was taken to Sweden because no beds were available at the UK specialist unit in Leicester.

The Scottish Government revealed the latest development as part of a weekly update which showed about 1,000 Scots are now catching the virus each day.

Health officials said about 7,034 people caught H1N1 in the past week, up from about 6,180 the previous week.

The rate of GP consultations for flu-like illnesses was 62.1 per 100,000 people, an increase from last week's figure of 53.3.

The statistics showed that in the four and under age group, cases had risen from 180 to 211 per 100,000; while among five to 14-year-olds, they had risen from 52 to 87 per 100,000.

In the 25 to 64 age bracket, the number of cases had increased from 25 to 30 per 100,000. Cases in the 65 plus group had remained relatively stable.

As of Wednesday, 165 people with swine flu had been hospitalised since the start of the outbreak.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "The potential threat from H1N1 remains serious, even if it continues to be a relatively mild virus.

"Vaccination is the best defence we have against the H1N1 virus and Scotland is preparing very well for the vaccination programme."

Health Protection Scotland revealed it wants to blood test children to track the spread of swine flu and discover if people are building up immunity.

School children were picked because they have proved most susceptible to the H1N1 infection.

Only one or two secondary schools would need to take part in the tests, which would be voluntary.

A government spokesman said: "With a new virus like H1N1, it's incredibly important for public health that we learn as much about how it behaves as possible.

"This study is designed to give public health doctors an insight into how to manage outbreaks in schools and other communities. It makes sense to carry out surveillance where possible and where parents and children are happy to give consent."

Meanwhile, in England, at least 66 schools have suffered swine flu outbreaks since the start of the new term, figures showed yesterday.

New data from the government also showed the number of swine flu cases across the country has almost doubled in a week, from an estimated 5,000 to 9,000.

Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said the number of cases was still relatively low, but there were signs a second wave of swine flu could be on its way.

He said the data on schools was not being systematically collected and he expected the number affected to be higher.

Asked if the figure of 66 was on the low side, he said: "I think there will be more than that."