Swine Flu: Scotland Records First Death Outside Americas

A patient suffering from swine flu has died in hospital in Scotland, becoming the first person outside the Americas killed by the virus.

Scotland's first minister, Alex Salmond, today expressed his sympathy for the family of the woman, locally identified as a 38-year-old who died in Paisley.

"I think all of us in Scotland will feel very deeply for the feelings of the family at the present time," he said.

The victim, who had given premature birth in recent days, was one of 10 Scots in hospital with the H1N1 virus. She had been in intensive care at the Royal Alexandra hospital in Paisley, where a large number of those infected with swine flu have been treated. Health officials said nearly 500 people in Scotland had been diagnosed with the virus, the majority of which were in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

Professor Hugh Pennington, a bacteriologist at Aberdeen University, said today that the presence of underlying health problems was likely to have been a "significant factor". He added: "It's very sad but with the number of cases we have seen it is really something which was always going to happen sooner or later. Unfortunately it is to be expected.

"It does not point to the virus getting nastier. All the evidence to date suggests the virus is not changing at all."

The Scottish government released a statement shortly before 8pm yesterday stating: "With regret, we can confirm that one of the patients who had been in hospital and had been confirmed as suffering from the H1N1 virus has died today. At the family's request, to allow them time to come to terms with their loss, no further details will be released tonight."

Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish health secretary, said: "I'd like to express my condolences to the patient's family and friends. This is a tragedy for those concerned and they have my heartfelt sympathy. Tragic though today's death is, I would like to emphasise that the vast majority of those who have H1N1 are suffering from relatively mild symptoms."

Today a Health Protection Agency (HPA) spokesman insisted the majority of cases of swine flu identified so far had been "generally mild", adding: "The risk to the general population remains low."

Last week, Scottish ministers pre-empted a World Health Organization decision to declare a worldwide pandemic by announcing that swine flu was widespread in the community – particularly in Glasgow and two nearby towns, Paisley and Dunoon.

More than 1,000 people in Britain and 680 elsewhere in Europe have contracted the H1N1 virus, but until today fatalities had been confined to the Americas. The latest WHO swine flu bulletin said there had been 145 confirmed deaths, chiefly in Mexico and the US.

The Scottish government said there were 498 cases confirmed so far after 35 new cases were confirmed, with 32 of those in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde health board area.

The HPA in England reported 61 new cases, chiefly around Birmingham, where health officials believe there is a similar rate of infection to Glasgow. Of the 752 English cases, 354 are in the West Midlands.

Speaking before the death in Paisley emerged, Sturgeon said: "We continue to see a rise in cases of H1N1 around the world, and Scotland is not isolated from that.

"Given the number of cases being confirmed in the West Midlands, there is an indication that the area is experiencing a level of spread similar to what we are seeing in Scotland.

"We remain one of the best prepared countries in the world and, as in every other country, the vast majority of people contracting the virus are experiencing relatively mild symptoms."