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THE first person to catch swine flu in Britain was in the crowd at Hampden for Sunday's Scottish Cup semi-final.
The Record can reveal that Graeme Pacitti sat in the17,000 crowd at the national stadium just hours before he was felled by the virus. Falkirk fan Graeme picked up the bug at a tequila party given by pal Iain Askham three days earlier. Iain and his wife Dawn were the first British swine flu victims after they caught it on honeymoon in Mexico.
But by the time health officials told Graeme, 24, that they had the bug, he'd already been to the game at Hampden.
Graeme, from Falkirk, said he was feeling ill from Saturday night. But the lifelong Bairns fan said he didn't want to miss the big match, in which his side beat Dunfermline 2-0. Graeme also stressed he was unaware he may have had swine flu until a phone call from medics at 6.30pm on Sunday.
Officials turned up at 10.30pm that night to take a blood samples from him.
Last night, Graeme said: "I was feeling bad from about 9pm on Saturday but when I got up on Sunday, I felt a bit better and really wanted to go to the match.
"I went with two pals. They sat either side of me during the game but I wasn't coughing or sneezing or anything."
Graeme said: "The medics had lots of people to get through and it took them a while to come around. It was quite late, 10.30pm, when two nurses arrived.
"I told them about my symptoms and they said I should stay off work. They also gave me (anti-flu drug) Tamiflu.
"I told them I had been to the match and who I was with. I gave them the names of my two pals and they've been monitored but are showing no symptoms.
"The public health officials gaveme the impression that they weren't too worried about me being at the match, as I would have had to have been in close contact with someone for more than an hour to pass it on."
While the attendance was nowhere near capacity, fans were packed into either side of the stadium with the areas behind the goals left empty.
Football pals Iain, Graeme, Martin From Page One Wright and Neil Gardner had got together a week past Thursday to celebrate Iain's return from Cancun.
But as they downed tequila and lager, they were unaware that they were responsible for the first ever person-toperson infection of swine flu on UK soil.
Recovering at his home in Falkirk last night, Graeme said: "I'm absolutely gutted. It's hard to believe. But Iain didn't know he had swine flu at the time.
"He couldn't have done anything to prevent it - none of us could."
Graeme and Iain play in the same six-a-side team - FC Mallard - in a league in Falkirk.
Graeme said: "Iain wasn't showing any symptoms on Thursday.
"My friends thought he looked a bit tired but we thought it was just jet-lag. I started off with an upset stomach then I had a sore throat, my temperature soared and I had bad headaches.
"The worst point was Monday night. It was awful. Today, I've been better. My throat's still a bit sore but I felt better today than I have all week."
Graeme was in the same room as Iain for around five hours on the Thursday night.
Injury
Graeme said: "I had been taking some painkillers for a football injury on my ankle so I wasn't really in the mood to be drinking a lot, so I stuck to a few beers while the others were on the tequilas.
"We weren't sitting in the same positions all night - we were moving around between seats as people got up and came in and out of the room."
On Sunday, the doctor called out to check people who had come into contact with Iain and Dawn told Graeme he had to stay at home until blood tests came back.
As a precaution, on Tuesday the doctors said Graeme's mum Lesley, 42, brother Allan, 19, and Lesley's partner Andrew O'Connor should also stay at home.
Lesley is a student midwife and Allan is a manager at aMcDonald's restaurant, while Andrew also works at Falkirk Royal Infirmary in the sterilising unit.
All are expected to have to stay off work until Graeme is fully recovered and it is confirmed they have not been infected.
Last night, Iain phoned Graeme after hearing the news of his infection.
He said: "I'm really shocked that Graeme has caught the flu as none of my family have got it. I just feel terrible about it."
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the news Graeme had been at the match was worrying.
Meanwhile, it emerged that Britain faces shutdown if people start dying from swine flu.
Fans will be banned from football matches, with all remaining fixtures played behind closed gates.
Pop shows and big public gatherings will be delayed or axed and bars and cinemas could be closed.
The contingency plans, discussed this week by the Government's Cobra emergency committee, reflect what happened in Mexico, where the virus originated.
The Mexican authorities have ordered a five-day lockdown in an attempt to contain the bug, suspected of causing almost 170 deaths.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/s...tim-was-at-hampden-semi-final-86908-21325582/
The Record can reveal that Graeme Pacitti sat in the17,000 crowd at the national stadium just hours before he was felled by the virus. Falkirk fan Graeme picked up the bug at a tequila party given by pal Iain Askham three days earlier. Iain and his wife Dawn were the first British swine flu victims after they caught it on honeymoon in Mexico.
But by the time health officials told Graeme, 24, that they had the bug, he'd already been to the game at Hampden.
Graeme, from Falkirk, said he was feeling ill from Saturday night. But the lifelong Bairns fan said he didn't want to miss the big match, in which his side beat Dunfermline 2-0. Graeme also stressed he was unaware he may have had swine flu until a phone call from medics at 6.30pm on Sunday.
Officials turned up at 10.30pm that night to take a blood samples from him.
Last night, Graeme said: "I was feeling bad from about 9pm on Saturday but when I got up on Sunday, I felt a bit better and really wanted to go to the match.
"I went with two pals. They sat either side of me during the game but I wasn't coughing or sneezing or anything."
Graeme said: "The medics had lots of people to get through and it took them a while to come around. It was quite late, 10.30pm, when two nurses arrived.
"I told them about my symptoms and they said I should stay off work. They also gave me (anti-flu drug) Tamiflu.
"I told them I had been to the match and who I was with. I gave them the names of my two pals and they've been monitored but are showing no symptoms.
"The public health officials gaveme the impression that they weren't too worried about me being at the match, as I would have had to have been in close contact with someone for more than an hour to pass it on."
While the attendance was nowhere near capacity, fans were packed into either side of the stadium with the areas behind the goals left empty.
Football pals Iain, Graeme, Martin From Page One Wright and Neil Gardner had got together a week past Thursday to celebrate Iain's return from Cancun.
But as they downed tequila and lager, they were unaware that they were responsible for the first ever person-toperson infection of swine flu on UK soil.
Recovering at his home in Falkirk last night, Graeme said: "I'm absolutely gutted. It's hard to believe. But Iain didn't know he had swine flu at the time.
"He couldn't have done anything to prevent it - none of us could."
Graeme and Iain play in the same six-a-side team - FC Mallard - in a league in Falkirk.
Graeme said: "Iain wasn't showing any symptoms on Thursday.
"My friends thought he looked a bit tired but we thought it was just jet-lag. I started off with an upset stomach then I had a sore throat, my temperature soared and I had bad headaches.
"The worst point was Monday night. It was awful. Today, I've been better. My throat's still a bit sore but I felt better today than I have all week."
Graeme was in the same room as Iain for around five hours on the Thursday night.
Injury
Graeme said: "I had been taking some painkillers for a football injury on my ankle so I wasn't really in the mood to be drinking a lot, so I stuck to a few beers while the others were on the tequilas.
"We weren't sitting in the same positions all night - we were moving around between seats as people got up and came in and out of the room."
On Sunday, the doctor called out to check people who had come into contact with Iain and Dawn told Graeme he had to stay at home until blood tests came back.
As a precaution, on Tuesday the doctors said Graeme's mum Lesley, 42, brother Allan, 19, and Lesley's partner Andrew O'Connor should also stay at home.
Lesley is a student midwife and Allan is a manager at aMcDonald's restaurant, while Andrew also works at Falkirk Royal Infirmary in the sterilising unit.
All are expected to have to stay off work until Graeme is fully recovered and it is confirmed they have not been infected.
Last night, Iain phoned Graeme after hearing the news of his infection.
He said: "I'm really shocked that Graeme has caught the flu as none of my family have got it. I just feel terrible about it."
Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said the news Graeme had been at the match was worrying.
Meanwhile, it emerged that Britain faces shutdown if people start dying from swine flu.
Fans will be banned from football matches, with all remaining fixtures played behind closed gates.
Pop shows and big public gatherings will be delayed or axed and bars and cinemas could be closed.
The contingency plans, discussed this week by the Government's Cobra emergency committee, reflect what happened in Mexico, where the virus originated.
The Mexican authorities have ordered a five-day lockdown in an attempt to contain the bug, suspected of causing almost 170 deaths.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/s...tim-was-at-hampden-semi-final-86908-21325582/