Saturday, October 17, 2009

Pregnant Teen Dies After Catching Swine Flu

Emma Rowley, Sky News Online
A pregnant teenager has died after contracting swine flu

The 17-year-old, who was from the Scottish Borders, has not yet been named.

When she contracted influenza A (H1N1), she was already pregnant, which makes women more likely to face difficulties related to the virus.

Following the death, Scotland's Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon urged all pregnant women to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their babies.

She said: "The death of this young mother-to-be and her baby is deeply saddening and my thoughts are with her family and friends.

"Medical experts have been telling us that pregnant women are more vulnerable to developing complications after contracting the virus.

"For this reason, they will be among the priority groups for vaccination when the H1N1 vaccine becomes available later this month."

Due to the sudden nature of this death, a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal, the official who investigates sudden fatalities.

The latest figures for Scotland reveal the number of community samples that tested positive for H1N1 has increased to 29.3% from 16.4% last week.

There have been fifteen deaths linked to the virus since the start of the outbreak in the country.

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