UK death toll linked to flu outbreaks jumps to 14

Published on Thursday 9 July 2009 22:00

FOURTEEN people have now died in the UK after contracting swine flu, it emerged yesterday.

The new figures mean that deaths linked to the H1N1 virus have doubled in the space of three days. It has also emerged that 335 people are in hospital in England with swine flu – 43 of them in "critical care" – along with five in Scotland.

Yesterday, the Scottish Government revealed new figures on estimated numbers of flu cases being seen by GPs in Scotland, suggesting rates were still low despite clusters of the virus in some areas. Lanarkshire and Forth Valley have some of the highest levels of the illness.

England's Chief Medical Officer Sir Liam Donaldson said the death figures – 12 in England and two in Scotland – did not mean all the patients died as a direct result of swine flu, but that they did have the virus.

At the start of the week, seven deaths involving swine flu had been confirmed.

It is unclear where or when the latest deaths occurred, although none was in Scotland. The UK now has the third-highest number of cases in the world after the United States and Mexico. This may be because many countries are not counting all cases.

However, Sir Liam admitted it was unknown how many people in the UK were truly suffering from the virus as many people would be treating themselves at home rather than contacting their GP.

Health Protection Agency chief executive Justin McCracken said the organisation would not be releasing information about individual deaths, adding that it was a local decision in each case whether to reveal details of where and who the victims were.