UK braced for more swine flu cases

12 April 2012

Britain is bracing itself for more cases of swine flu after the first two cases of the infection in the UK were confirmed.

The two, who had been on holiday in Mexico, are being treated in isolation at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, Lanarkshire.

Meanwhile, a passenger on an incoming flight from Mexico was treated by medics at Manchester airport after becoming unwell, the Health Protection Agency said.

The passenger was on flight TCX234 from Cancun. It landed at 7.33am.

A HPA spokesman said: "We can confirm that paramedics supported by airport health officials and the Health Protection Agency treated a passenger who became ill during the flight from Mexico to Manchester airport.

"Tests are being undertaken in an attempt to establish the cause of illness."

A total of 152 people have been killed in Mexico by the virus, which is caused when the H1N1 strain associated with pigs crosses over to the human population, with cases also confirmed in the US, Canada and Spain, with suspected cases in the Irish Republic, New Zealand and Israel.

The Scottish two, named as Iain and Dawn Askham, of Polmont, near Falkirk, had been travelling together in Mexico. They were admitted to hospital after showing symptoms.

Ms Sturgeon told a press conference in Edinburgh: "I would reiterate that the threat to the public remains low and that the precautionary actions we have taken over the last two days have been important in allowing us to respond appropriately and give us the best prospect of disrupting the spread of the virus."

However, the World Health Organisation's assistant director-general Keiji Fukuda said the global health body was urging affected countries to mitigate any outbreaks.

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