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Update on A(H1N1) virus
26/05/2009
Scotland has one new probable case of influenza A (H1N1) and the patient is critically ill in hospital in Glasgow, Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon confirmed today.
She said:
"The individual in question is a 37-year-old man from Glasgow who was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of Victoria Royal Infirmary on May 21, last Thursday.
"As yet there is no evidence that this individual has had contact with a known or suspected patient with the A(H1N1) virus and no history of recent travel abroad.
"He had pre-existing health problems when he was admitted which were judged to be sufficient to explain some of the symptoms, for example the chest infection he had. In routine testing, he was tested for a number of viruses. The results have confirmed that he is positive for influenza A and H1N1 is highly probable, although this is not yet a confirmed case because the sample has not yet been confirmed by the Colindale lab.
"The patient had a severe bacterial infection of the respiratory tract and significant underlying health problems. The patient is critically ill and obviously giving cause for serious clinical concern at this time. Public health staff in Greater Glasgow and Clyde are not able to say if the flu is the underlying cause of his deterioration, or whether it is simply incidental to his other problems.
"I am not able to give further details of his underlying conditions due to patient confidentiality, other than to say he is in a critical condition."
The total number of Scottish cases is:
- 13 confirmed
- 1 probable
- 8 possible cases under investigation
The area breakdown for the current eight cases under investigation in Scotland is:
Lothian - 4
Highland - 2
Fife - 2
In England today there were 47 new confirmed cases, 44 in one particular school in Birmingham.