UK Reports First Swine Flu Death

The UK reported its first death to H1N1 swine flu on Sunday after a 38-year old mother from Glasgow died in a Scottish hospital days after she gave birth to her baby prematurely. The patient, named locally as Jacqui Fleming, had underlying health problems and is thought to have died while receiving treatment at the at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley. She had been in intensive care there since last month, reported The Herald.

Fleming was one of 10 patients being treated for swine flu in greater Glasgow, reported the BBC.

Her death is the first reported outside of the Americas, where according to the World Health Organization’s latest update, 145 people have died.

Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon expressed her condolences to Fleming’s family:

“This is a tragedy for those concerned and they have my heartfelt sympathy,” she told the press. She went on to stress although this death was tragic, people should note that the vast majority of H1N1 infections have been relatively mild.

35 new cases of swine flu were reported in Scotland on Sunday, bringing to 500 the number people infected in Scotland, out of 1,261 confirmed cases in the UK as a whole, reported the BBC earlier today.

Read more….