29/06/2009

Girl, Aged Nine, Becomes Third British Swine Flu Victim

A nine-year-old girl has died at Birmingham Children's Hospital after contracting swine flu, it has emerged.

According to the hospital, the girl - who had other underlying health problems - had died in the past few days.

The young girl is the third confirmed UK death from swine flu.

The other two deaths were in Scotland.

An elderly man from Glasgow - who had other serious underlying health issues - died at the Royal Alexandra hospital in Paisley on Saturday night.

According to health officials, the man had been in intensive care for 15 days.

The first Briton to die from the H1N1 virus, Jacqui Fleming, also died at the Royal Alexandra after giving birth prematurely to her third child. She was the first person outside the Americas to die after contracting the virus.

The Health Protection also confirmed 588 new cases of swine flu in the West Midlands region on Monday. The total number of cases there are, 2,104.

Latest official figures have shown 5,937 Britons have so far contracted the virus, with significant outbreaks in Birmingham, London and the Glasgow area.

(JM/KMcA)

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