Second British swine flu death

The second British death from swine flu occurred in Scotland over the weekend, but officials have moved quickly to allay public fears about the disease.

An elderly man from Inverclyde died at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, but the Scottish government has stressed that the 73-year-old had underlying health problems.

The death follows that of a 38-year-old woman who died earlier in June who had also been suffering from other medical complications.

Scottish health secretary Nicola Sturgeon offered the government's condolences to the second victim's family, but added: "Although it is concerning that the patient had swine flu, we are aware that the patient had very serious underlying health issues.

"It's important to remember that the vast majority of those who have H1N1 are suffering from relatively mild symptoms."

Scotland's chief medical officer, Dr Harry Burns, also pointed out that the death was just the second in more than 4,000 swine flu cases.

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