All-clear Given on 13 Suspected Swine Flu Cases in Scotland

Fears of a fresh outbreak of swine flu in Scotland subsided today after health authorities said 13 of the suspected cases of the virus had proven negative.

The Scottish health secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, said that tests on eight of the nine people who had been in contact with the first Britons to catch swine flu, Iain and Dawn Askham, had shown they were not suffering from swine flu.

In a further development, tests on five of the 14 further suspected cases which came to light yesterday were also negative. Another two suspected cases were "declassified" as no longer of concern.

Sturgeon told the Scottish parliament this afternoon the results were reassuring and suggested the authorities quick tracing of possible cases and their containment had been working.

"Based on the test results we have so far, we are cautiously optimistic that this approach is showing some signs of success. However, we are by no means complacent and remain focused and vigilant," she told MSPs.

However, the minister said a further 24 cases from across Scotland were under investigation, in Ayrshire and Arran, Greater Glasgow and Clyde, Lanarkshire, Highland and Lothian.

All involved people who had travelled in Mexico and other affected areas. Added to the outstanding tests on the first cases, there were now 32 cases under investigation.

She said the death of the 23-month-old child in Texas and the discovery of three confirmed cases in England, including a 12-year-old child who had been on the same flight from Mexico last week as the Askhams, was of concern. But she said the risk to the general public remained low.

"Obviously the death of a child in the US is a tragic and extremely concerning development that requires further investigation," she said. "However, the fact remains that, outside Mexico, all other cases of this virus have been mild and not led to severe illness. That is and should be reassuring to the public."

Sturgeon also revised her statement yesterday that all 14 new suspected cases that emerged yesterday were unrelated to the Askhams: one was linked to the couple, from Polmont near Edinburgh.