Woman, 59, is sixth Scottish victim to die of swine flu

Published on Monday 24 August 2009 22:01

A WOMAN who was suffering from swine flu has died in hospital, Scottish health officials have revealed.

The 59-year-old, from Islay, was admitted to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley on 8 August and had underlying medical conditions.

The woman died early yesterday and is the sixth person to die in Scotland who had been suffering from the H1N1 virus.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said: "As we have seen in previous cases, this patient was suffering from underlying health conditions and her death should not cause alarm among the general population. Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, most people have fairly mild symptoms and make a full recovery within a week. But it's important that you get the help you need as quickly as possible if you are at greater risk.

"The latest figures for Scotland also show that, while the virus continues to circulate, the rate of GP consultations for flu-like illnesses has continued to decrease slightly."

The UK's first swine flu death was Jacqui Fleming, 38, from Glasgow, who died shortly after giving birth prematurely in June. In July, a 15-year-old girl with swine flu and underlying health problems died in the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.

The latest death came as it was announced that 14 scientific projects into swine flu – including one being run in Edinburgh – are being fast-tracked to help understand the pandemic.

The research projects, backed by 2.25 million, will launch around the UK this week, with results available by the end of the year.

The 14 projects announced will look at issues such as whether closing schools is effective in preventing the spread of the virus and if health workers should wear face masks. Experts will also look at managing swine flu in pregnant women to protect them and their unborn babies, and will identify priorities for looking after critical-care patients.

Experts have predicted the UK could experience a "second wave" of swine flu as early as next month, when schools south of the Border go back. The announcement comes after Canadian research released yesterday found people might reject the swine flu vaccine over fears about its safety. A small survey of 216 GPs in the UK also found that 29 per cent would not have the vaccine this winter.