Scotland: 3 hospitalized; critical

[hornblower]

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/swine+patients+critical+condition+Scotland/1654900/story.html

Two swine flu patients in 'critical' condition in Scotland


Agence France-PresseJune 2, 2009 10:07

LONDON - Two swine flu patients have been admitted to intensive care in "critical but stable condition" in Scotland, the government said Tuesday.


The 45-year-old man and a 38-year-old woman are being treated in the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, southwest of Glasgow. "Both are in critical but stable condition," said a spokeswoman.


The two patients ? neither of whom had travelled to Mexico ? are the first reported in Britain with more than mild systoms from the A(H1N1) swine flu virus, which first broke out in the North American country.


Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon acknowledged that the announcement could fuel concern.


"That's entirely understandable," she said. "But, in any flu scenario, small numbers of patients will develop complications and will require that kind of medical intervention.


"The fact remains that in the vast, overwhelming majority of cases, people with this virus are experiencing relatively mild symptoms, in some cases very mild."


The woman in critical condition had "underlying medical conditions," the spokeswoman said, without elaborating, while the male patient did not.

The critical cases were revealed as the total number of swine flu patients in Britain rose to 362, including 65 in Scotland. Most had either recently travelled to Mexico or have links to people who did.


Last week a 38-year-old man, who also had other health problems, was admitted to intensive care at a hospital in Glasgow.

[wotan]

Re: Scotland: 2 hospitalized; critical but stable

http://uk.reuters.com/article/domest...5514XA20090602

LONDON (Reuters) - A man and a woman diagnosed with the new H1N1 influenza virus are in a critical but stable condition after being admitted to intensive care in Scotland, an official said on Tuesday.

One patient is a 45-year-old man from Paisley who does not have any other known underlying health conditions, a Scottish health spokeswoman said.

The other is a 38-year-old woman from Glasgow who does suffer from other, unspecified, health conditions.

It was unclear how the pair, being treated at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, had become infected with the virus, known as swine flu.

They are not connected to each other, nor do they have any link to a cluster of Scottish cases of the flu in Dunoon in Argyll, the spokeswoman said.

It was not known whether they had been travelling abroad recently.

They were among 23 new flu cases confirmed in Scotland on Tuesday. A further 61 cases were confirmed in England, bringing the total number of confirmed infections in Britain to 339.

The Department of Health says most cases in Britain have been mild, but authorities worldwide have recorded 117 deaths from the infection, mostly in Mexico, the epicentre of the outbreak.

A senior World Health Organisation official said the continued spread of the flu in Britain, Spain, Japan, Chile and Australia had moved the world closer to the top pandemic alert.

[ch84]

Re: Scotland: 2 hospitalized; critical but stable

I think there is more community spread in Scotland. The diagnostic criteria are too narrow.

[hornblower]

Re: Scotland: 2 hospitalized; critical but stable

http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2512067.0.First_critical_swine_flu_victim_with_no_previous_health_issues.php

June 03 2009

First ?critical? swine flu victim with no previous health issues

A Scottish man is the first swine flu victim in the UK to become critically ill solely because of the respiratory disease.

The 45-year-old man, who was in intensive care in Paisley last night, is not thought to have any other underlying health problems.

His case differs to that of a 37-year-old man in a critical but stable condition in Glasgow's Victoria Infirmary, who has underlying health issues.


The case comes as the policy of containing the spread of swine flu looks set to be abandoned today as politicians in Edinburgh and London meet in emergency session to consider the latest upsurge in cases.

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon will take part in a video conference with the Downing Street emergency office, Cobra, and it is likely that Scotland's war with swine flu will require a new strategy.

The number of confirmed Scottish cases reached 65 yesterday, an increase of 23. A cluster centred on Rangers fans in Dunoon who travelled on a supporters' bus includes 18 confirmed cases.

The Scottish update came as the Health Protection Agency (HPA) revealed that 61 more people in England were confirmed with swine flu - the largest number of new cases south of the border in one day since the outbreak began last month. This brings the total number affected in the UK to 362.

Two of the new confirmed cases are people being treated in Paisley's Royal Alexandra Hospital, a 32-year-old woman from Glasgow and the 45-year-old man from Paisley, both described as critical but stable in the hospital's intensive care unit.

The man has no known medical conditions, which might lead to concern over him having flu, and makes him the first case in the UK where an apparently healthy member of the population has ended up in intensive care.

His condition in hospital also clashes with a new pattern. Dr Harry Burns, Scotland's Chief Medical Officer, pointed out that the disease appeared more virulent among those under 40, probably because they had never been exposed to the 1968 flu pandemic that was of a similar strain to the current swine flu virus.

Ms Sturgeon said that she would attend a meeting of Cobra again today, the UK Cabinet emergency meeting that she attends by video conference.

But she also admitted that attempts to deal with the swine flu outbreak by a policy of containment may now be beginning to come to an end.

"We are still pursuing a containment strategy, but when we have increased spread that becomes less effective. We are getting closer to a situation where the containment strategy evolves into something different.

"We are now seeing sporadic cases in the community, with clusters taking place around them. Therefore the message to the public is to be vigilant and alert.

"There is no need for the public to be unduly worried. I understand that information about patients being admitted to intensive care will concern people, but, as we have said throughout, in any flu scenario small numbers of patients will develop complications and require medical intervention."

There are also 30 possible cases in Scotland as of yesterday, with six of them travel-related and 24 not connected to travel. The bulk of the non-travel cases are connected to the cluster in Dunoon.

In numbers

Scotland now has a total of:
65 confirmed cases, eight travel-related and 57 non travel-related.

1 probable case which is non travel-related.

30 possible cases, six travel-related and 24 non travel-related.

Board breakdown of confirmed cases:


Ayrshire and Arran - 4
Forth Valley - 6
Greater Glasgow and Clyde - 20
Highland - 32 Lothian - 3
Board breakdown of the probable case:


Greater Glasgow and Clyde - 1
Board breakdown of the possible cases:


Dumfries and Galloway - 1
Forth Valley - 2
Greater Glasgow and Clyde - 6
Highland - 17
Lothian - 3
Tayside - 1

[hornblower]

Re: Scotland: now 4 in ICU

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5h7T-XCJh8hRw7HrI3VNYTeVEmkdQ

Four flu victims in intensive care
5 minutes ago

A fourth swine flu victim has been admitted to intensive care in Scotland.

First Minister Alex Salmond announced the new case as he said the number of people with the virus had increased to 88.

It was confirmed on Tuesday that two people were in intensive care with swine flu, both in Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley.

The pair - a 45-year-old man from Paisley and a 38-year-old woman from Glasgow - are in a "critical but stable" condition.

The man is believed to be the first case in the UK to be admitted to intensive care without any underlying health problems. Another man, aged 37, who already had health problems, was admitted to intensive care in Glasgow last week.

Mr Salmond told MSPs during First Minister's Questions: "The position that we have is a serious situation and it's changing rapidly. We now have 88 confirmed cases of swine flu in Scotland."

This is up 23 on Tuesday and means the figures have quadrupled in the space of the past week.

Meanwhile the World Health Organisation warned it was "getting closer" to declaring a global outbreak of the virus.

WHO flu chief Keiji Fukuda said the disease has reached 64 countries and infected 18,965 people, causing 117 deaths. The overwhelming majority of cases and deaths have been reported in Mexico and the US, but increasingly the virus is spreading from person to person in countries as far apart as Britain, Spain, Japan, Chile and Australia.

Mr Fukuda said: "Phase 6 is the highest alert on WHO's scale, signalling a pandemic - a global epidemic. In terms of the geographic spread of swine flu, the world is at phase 5 but getting closer to phase 6."

[Shiloh]

Re: Scotland: 2 hospitalized; critical but stable

Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/scotsol/home...ves-birth.html

Swine Flu Victim Gives Birth

By KENNY McALPINE

Published: Today

A CRITICALLY-ill swine flu victim has given birth prematurely - and now her baby is also battling for life.

The 38-year-old mum had the tot almost THREE MONTHS early after she was rushed to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Renfrewshire, with the deadly bug.

And her baby - born at 29 weeks - is now in a serious condition at Glasgow's Yorkhill Hospital.

Last night, a source said: "This is tragic. Everyone is praying that both of them pull through.

"Hospital staff didn't realise she was pregnant when she was admitted. Now everyone is just hoping that they both manage to survive."

But it is believed tests have revealed the newborn does NOT have the infection.

Last night, a spokesman for the Royal Alexandra Hospital said: "A baby was delivered on Monday evening at 29 weeks gestation.

"Appropriate senior staff were present. The baby has been looked after in intensive care, as expected for a baby of this gestation.

"The baby is clinically stable and receiving appropriate medical and nursing care."

An insider said both infant and mother were still in a "serious condition" yesterday.

The source added: "They are in a pretty bad way but everyone is keeping their fingers crossed."
Victim

The mum, from Glasgow, had originally been in the city's Southern General Hospital.

It was later revealed a 26-year-old nurse who'd helped treat her at the Southern has also been hit by swine flu.

The mum is one of three people in intensive care at the Royal Alexandra - including a man of 45 and a 23-year-old woman, both of Paisley.

The male patient is thought to be the first UK victim to have become critically ill without suffering underlying health problems.

And two doctors from the Royal Alexandra - aged 26 and 27 - have been sent home after testing positive.

It's believed the medics caught the bug while treating infected patients.

[Shiloh]

Re: Scotland: 3 hospitalized; critical

Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/new...cle6452548.ece

une 7, 2009
Swine flu mother still critical as Scots cases rise to 189
As another 35 swine flu cases confirmed, leading microbiologist warns Scots may be more vulnerable

Lindsay McIntosh

A Scottish swine flu victim who gave birth three months prematurely was still critically ill in hospital last night, as the number of confirmed cases across the country rose to almost 200.

The 38-year-old Glasgow woman, who gave birth in the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley last week, is in intensive care. Her baby, in a stable condition in Yorkhill Hospital in Glasgow, is not thought to have the virus.

The Scottish government said that there were another 35 confirmed cases, bringing the total north of the Border to 189. Experts warned this could soon soar more than threefold.

The new cases came after a mircrobiologist, Hugh Pennington, suggested that Scots - particularly those in the West - might be more susceptible than those living south of the Border. He said: ?Many have chronic lung disease due to smoking and we know that is a risk factor in contracting flu. Alcoholism, drug abuse and a poor diet all contribute to a weak immune system, though that isn't to say the four people in intensive care come under these factors.?

Prof Pennington also warned that the numbers of confirmed cases would likely rise to about 600 - as scores of people may be carrying the bug without obvious symptoms and others may believe they have the common cold or another flu strain.

Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish Health Secretary, said the country was ?continuing to see an increase in cases of H1N1 in line with what we would expect to see with this virus and what has happened in other countries?.

And Alan McDevitt, joint vice-chairman of the Scottish GPs committee, said he believed the higher proportion of cases in Scotland was ?down to chance as anything else?.

Of the new Scottish cases, two are healthcare workers at the Royal Alexandra, bringing the total number infected while caring for a patient to five. A spokeswoman for the government said that none of the five were seriously ill and all were recovering well.

Only one of the new cases - a patient in Fife - is travel-related. Of the others, 22 are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, ten are in the Highlands and two are in Lanarkshire. There are also three probable cases and 210 possible cases under investigation.

At least one of the current cases, a 45-year-old man admitted to the Royal Alexandra, is not thought to have underlying health problems - fuelling concern that he has fallen victim to a new strain. He remained critical but stable yesterday.

Two of the new cases are school children whose fellow pupils will be made to stay home this week and offered Tamiflu. This decision affects second-year pupils at Rosshall Academy in Glasgow and pupils at Gleniffer High, Renfrewshire who sat chemistry exams on Wednesday.

Ministers may yet decide that a ban is necessary on major events such as the T in the Park music festival and the Edinburgh Tattoo. Harry Burns, Scotland's chief medical officer, said anyone organising a large public event should seek official guidance.