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We caught swine flu on 'plague plane' back from Mexico, say honeymoon Scots
May 1 2009 By Chris Musson
BRITAIN'S first swine flu victims claim they caught the virus on a "plague plane".
Scots Iain and Dawn Askham yesterday told of their ordeal for the first time.
And Iain revealed: "There were five guys sat right by us who were coughing and sneezing all the way back, right from when we got on the plane from Mexico.
"I actually said to Dawn, 'I think we're going to be getting off this plane with the plague."
Last night, Iain, 27, and Dawn, 25, were back at home in Polmont, near Falkirk, after their "terrible" five days.
The honeymoon couple were given the all-clear and discharged from hospital after five days in isolation.
They are convinced they contracted swine flu from the group of men sat by them on Thomson flight 578, which landed in Birmingham on Tuesday, April 21.
A 12-year-old girl from the same flight has also been confirmed as a victim of the virus.
Yesterday, fears of a pandemic grew as doctors probed a "probable" third Scots case of swine flu. If it is confirmed, it will be the first time the potentially deadly virus has been passed from person to person in Britain.
Iain and Dawn had gone to the resort of Cancun on a dream honeymoon.
As they settled in at home last night, with the world's media camped outside their house, the Askhams said they had no doubt the five men sat near them had brought swine flu on to the plane.
ScottishPower IT worker Iain said: "We are 99 per cent sure we caught the virus on the flight back from Cancun to Birmingham.
"We were on that flight back for nine hours and it would have been impossible not to have breathed in their germs, which will have been getting circulated round the plane.
"At that point, we didn't know anything about swine flu. There were cases in Mexico but, like the rest of the world, we were unaware."
The Askhams were sitting on a row of three seats around the middle of the Boeing 767, in the centre between the two aisles.
One of the "infected" men was directly behind Iain, while the other four were to the couple's left, over the aisle.
Dawn, who works as a dispenser in Boots, said: "The men appeared to be sweating and in a fever and were clearly ill - all of them.
"When people were getting seated, before we took off, an English couple sat behind us were moved after telling the flight staff they thought they might catch something.
"It was a lot of really bad coughing and shivering, like we had when we got ill."
Iain said: "The guys were British Asian - they definitely had an English accent, they were British and had southern accents.
"They were really ill, especially the one sat directly behind us. He had a really bad fever.
"We didn't ask to get moved because we'd have felt a bit rude asking for an upgrade - even if it was our honeymooon.
"Asking to get moved wouldn't be like me or Dawn. I didn't want to make a fuss.
"I felt quite lucky to be on the plane in the first place. This was the holiday of a lifetime, something we'd saved up for years and we were just glad to be on holiday."
The plane, carrying Thomson and First Choice customers, arrived back into Britain early in the morning on April 21.
Iain and Dawn wandered around the airport for eight hours before their BMI flight back to Scotland, where Dawn's mum Linda Colston picked them up from Edinburgh airport just before 5pm.
The couple said they felt fine on the flight and only developed serious symptoms towards the end of the week.
The day after they got back, the couple were tired but not showing obvious flu symptoms.
Dawn, who has asthma, had a slight sore throat while on holiday but she said this had blown over by the time they were on the flight back.
On that Wednesday, they went to visit their parents - Ian and Pauline Askham, and Linda and Ian Colston - and midfielder Iain even played a game of five-a-side football with pals from his side FC Mallard.
On Thursday, Dawn went back to work at Boots, though Iain still had a few days off from his job.
Dawn said: "I didn't like to be back and I felt quite lousy. I'd started to feel lousy on Wednesday night.
"I felt bad but I felt guilty and thought I should go back to work "I lasted the whole day - but because I work in the dispensary off the shop floor, I didn't see any patients.
"I came into contact with nine people, all members of staff, and they were all tested."
On Thursday evening, Iain walked round to the house of his pal and best man Neil Gardner for some drinks.
Neil, 26, and two other friends who were there - Martin Wright, 26, and Graeme Pacitti, 25 - were also among the Askhams' contact group tested for swine flu.
Iain said: "I was a bit rough and I was out until about 12, but I just thought I had a bit of a cold and some jet lag.
"We were having a few tequilas to bring back the spirit of Mexico - that was the idea anyway.
"I was a bit drunk and didn't feel 100 per cent but I woke up in the morning with more than a hangover.
"From Friday onwards, I was just in bed. It was like getting cramp at football, but all over."
Dawn was sent home from work by boss Carol Heron on Friday because of her illness.
She said: "I was feeling awful and about 11am, Carol sent me home. She was off on Monday and wanted me to be better by then. But that didn't happen."
On Friday night, the couple lay in bed and ordered a takeaway pizza.
They said they were "completely unaware" of the news about swine flu in Mexico until their parents told them on Saturday.
That day, Dawn's mum called the out-of-hours doctor service for them.
The doctor arrived at the house, took their temperatures and sent the couple straight to the infectious diseases unit at Monklands hospital, 30 minutes' drive away.
Within seconds, they had been ushered into separate isolation rooms, where they would stay for almost five days.
Iain got the all-clear following a blood test on Tuesday, while Dawn was told she was no longer contagious after the results came back from a test taken on Wednesday evening.
Yesterday morning, the newlyweds were allowed to see each other for the first time since Saturday.
But as an extra precaution, because Dawn still has a cough, doctors have insisted she wears a mask and stays in home isolation until it clears up.
Were you, or any of your friends or relatives on the "plague plane"? Contact the Record on 0141 309 3251
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/s...om-mexico-say-honeymoon-scots-86908-21322672/
May 1 2009 By Chris Musson
BRITAIN'S first swine flu victims claim they caught the virus on a "plague plane".
Scots Iain and Dawn Askham yesterday told of their ordeal for the first time.
And Iain revealed: "There were five guys sat right by us who were coughing and sneezing all the way back, right from when we got on the plane from Mexico.
"I actually said to Dawn, 'I think we're going to be getting off this plane with the plague."
Last night, Iain, 27, and Dawn, 25, were back at home in Polmont, near Falkirk, after their "terrible" five days.
The honeymoon couple were given the all-clear and discharged from hospital after five days in isolation.
They are convinced they contracted swine flu from the group of men sat by them on Thomson flight 578, which landed in Birmingham on Tuesday, April 21.
A 12-year-old girl from the same flight has also been confirmed as a victim of the virus.
Yesterday, fears of a pandemic grew as doctors probed a "probable" third Scots case of swine flu. If it is confirmed, it will be the first time the potentially deadly virus has been passed from person to person in Britain.
Iain and Dawn had gone to the resort of Cancun on a dream honeymoon.
As they settled in at home last night, with the world's media camped outside their house, the Askhams said they had no doubt the five men sat near them had brought swine flu on to the plane.
ScottishPower IT worker Iain said: "We are 99 per cent sure we caught the virus on the flight back from Cancun to Birmingham.
"We were on that flight back for nine hours and it would have been impossible not to have breathed in their germs, which will have been getting circulated round the plane.
"At that point, we didn't know anything about swine flu. There were cases in Mexico but, like the rest of the world, we were unaware."
The Askhams were sitting on a row of three seats around the middle of the Boeing 767, in the centre between the two aisles.
One of the "infected" men was directly behind Iain, while the other four were to the couple's left, over the aisle.
Dawn, who works as a dispenser in Boots, said: "The men appeared to be sweating and in a fever and were clearly ill - all of them.
"When people were getting seated, before we took off, an English couple sat behind us were moved after telling the flight staff they thought they might catch something.
"It was a lot of really bad coughing and shivering, like we had when we got ill."
Iain said: "The guys were British Asian - they definitely had an English accent, they were British and had southern accents.
"They were really ill, especially the one sat directly behind us. He had a really bad fever.
"We didn't ask to get moved because we'd have felt a bit rude asking for an upgrade - even if it was our honeymooon.
"Asking to get moved wouldn't be like me or Dawn. I didn't want to make a fuss.
"I felt quite lucky to be on the plane in the first place. This was the holiday of a lifetime, something we'd saved up for years and we were just glad to be on holiday."
The plane, carrying Thomson and First Choice customers, arrived back into Britain early in the morning on April 21.
Iain and Dawn wandered around the airport for eight hours before their BMI flight back to Scotland, where Dawn's mum Linda Colston picked them up from Edinburgh airport just before 5pm.
The couple said they felt fine on the flight and only developed serious symptoms towards the end of the week.
The day after they got back, the couple were tired but not showing obvious flu symptoms.
Dawn, who has asthma, had a slight sore throat while on holiday but she said this had blown over by the time they were on the flight back.
On that Wednesday, they went to visit their parents - Ian and Pauline Askham, and Linda and Ian Colston - and midfielder Iain even played a game of five-a-side football with pals from his side FC Mallard.
On Thursday, Dawn went back to work at Boots, though Iain still had a few days off from his job.
Dawn said: "I didn't like to be back and I felt quite lousy. I'd started to feel lousy on Wednesday night.
"I felt bad but I felt guilty and thought I should go back to work "I lasted the whole day - but because I work in the dispensary off the shop floor, I didn't see any patients.
"I came into contact with nine people, all members of staff, and they were all tested."
On Thursday evening, Iain walked round to the house of his pal and best man Neil Gardner for some drinks.
Neil, 26, and two other friends who were there - Martin Wright, 26, and Graeme Pacitti, 25 - were also among the Askhams' contact group tested for swine flu.
Iain said: "I was a bit rough and I was out until about 12, but I just thought I had a bit of a cold and some jet lag.
"We were having a few tequilas to bring back the spirit of Mexico - that was the idea anyway.
"I was a bit drunk and didn't feel 100 per cent but I woke up in the morning with more than a hangover.
"From Friday onwards, I was just in bed. It was like getting cramp at football, but all over."
Dawn was sent home from work by boss Carol Heron on Friday because of her illness.
She said: "I was feeling awful and about 11am, Carol sent me home. She was off on Monday and wanted me to be better by then. But that didn't happen."
On Friday night, the couple lay in bed and ordered a takeaway pizza.
They said they were "completely unaware" of the news about swine flu in Mexico until their parents told them on Saturday.
That day, Dawn's mum called the out-of-hours doctor service for them.
The doctor arrived at the house, took their temperatures and sent the couple straight to the infectious diseases unit at Monklands hospital, 30 minutes' drive away.
Within seconds, they had been ushered into separate isolation rooms, where they would stay for almost five days.
Iain got the all-clear following a blood test on Tuesday, while Dawn was told she was no longer contagious after the results came back from a test taken on Wednesday evening.
Yesterday morning, the newlyweds were allowed to see each other for the first time since Saturday.
But as an extra precaution, because Dawn still has a cough, doctors have insisted she wears a mask and stays in home isolation until it clears up.
Were you, or any of your friends or relatives on the "plague plane"? Contact the Record on 0141 309 3251
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/s...om-mexico-say-honeymoon-scots-86908-21322672/