Birmingham girl dies of swine flu
A nine-year-old Birmingham girl has died in hospital after contracting swine flu.
Birmingham Children's Hospital said the girl, who has not been named, had died on Friday. The hospital added that she had been suffering from other health problems previously.
It is the third confirmed death from swine flu in the UK.
A NHS West Midlands spokeswoman said: "We can sadly confirm that a child died at Birmingham Children's Hospital on Friday evening. The child has since tested positive for swine flu but had other serious underlying health conditions."
In a statement, Dr Helen Carter, public health consultant at NHS West Midlands, said: "Our thoughts are with the family of the patient at this very sad time. The family has asked for the patient's identity to be kept private and we will not be releasing any further details.
"We ask that you respect the family's privacy at this difficult time.
"The West Midlands has seen the highest number of cases of swine flu. It is important to remember that our experience here has been that the vast majority of cases with swine flu are mild.
"I would like to urge everyone that there are some simple steps that the public can take to reduce their chances of catching flu."
The West Midlands has been declared a hotspot for the disease, with 2,104 confirmed cases so far - more than a third of the UK's total and more than two-fifths of all the cases in England.
The Health Protection Agency confirmed 588 new cases of swine flu in the region on Monday,
Since Friday, 1,604 cases have been confirmed in England, taking the country's total to 4,968 and the UK's total so far to 5,937.
Last week health officials said the West Midlands, along with London which has 1,564 confirmed cases so far, would adopt a policy of outbreak management, with swine flu cases being clinically diagnosed rather than being confirmed by laboratory results.
The new policy means swabbing will take place only for a small number of cases to keep track of the strength of the virus.
Doctors will also use the drug Tamiflu more selectively, targeting only people with symptoms. The drug is unlikely to be handed out to everyone who has come into contact with a swine flu sufferer as a precaution.
Chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson stressed that many parts of the country were still in the containment phase. But he warned there could be "tens of thousands of cases" of swine flu each week by the autumn because the virus is more likely to thrive in the colder months.
