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Swine flu advice leaflets posted Further 'probable' swine flu case
(about 4 hours later)
Hundreds of thousands of swine flu advice leaflets have been printed in preparation for distribution to every home in Scotland. Another "probable" case of swine flu is under investigation in Scotland, Health Minister Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed.
She said this was a male in the Ayrshire and Arran Health Board area, with no connection to the three confirmed cases.
He travelled from the US to Birmingham on Monday, and then onto Prestwick on Thursday, by which time he was showing symptoms of the virus.
She said a further 19 possible cases were also still under investigation.
Ms Sturgeon explained that a probable case was somebody who had tested positive for Influenza A but required further testing to determine the strain.
A total of 15 cases have now been confirmed in the UK, three of them in Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon said none of the three confirmed cases were giving any cause for concern, and there were no further person to person cases reported.
"I think we can have growing confidence that we are managing to limit the spread of infection from these original cases beyond that which we know about already," she said.
POSSIBLE CASES Ayrshire and Arran 1Fife 5Grampian 3Lothian 9Tayside 1
She added: "We continue to monitor this developing situation and the figures today show us that we must remain vigilant as we focus on disrupting the spread of the virus.
"We remain encouraged by the fact that outside Mexico, everyone who has contracted swine flu has experienced mild symptoms only.
"Scotland, and the UK as a whole, is well prepared for a pandemic and I would urge the public to remain calm and continue taking sensible hygiene precautions."
Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of swine flu advice leaflets have been printed in preparation for distribution to every home in Scotland.
Titled "Important information about swine flu", the pamphlets include 11 pages of information and advice.Titled "Important information about swine flu", the pamphlets include 11 pages of information and advice.
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has stressed that the risk to public health in Scotland from swine flu remains low.
On Friday, a Falkirk man was confirmed as the first person to have contracted the virus through contact in the UK.On Friday, a Falkirk man was confirmed as the first person to have contracted the virus through contact in the UK.
Graeme Pacitti, 24, is a friend of Iain and Dawn Askham, the couple who became infected during a holiday in Mexico.Graeme Pacitti, 24, is a friend of Iain and Dawn Askham, the couple who became infected during a holiday in Mexico.
Scotland's health secretary agreed that the case of Mr Pacitti, a clerical worker at Falkirk Royal Infirmary, was "significant and concerning".
But Ms Sturgeon said that did not mean there was more reason for people to worry.
There is still no evidence beyond this individual that this infection is prevalent in the wider community Nicola SturgeonHealth secretary
She said: "While the circumstances surrounding this case do give cause for concern, it is important to stress that the risk to public health in Scotland remains low."
"There is still no evidence beyond this individual that this infection is prevalent in the wider community."
She said 29 possible cases of swine flu were now being investigated in Scotland.
A total of 13 cases have now been confirmed in the UK, three of them in Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon said: "Our advice remains, if you have been to Mexico or another affected area recently, if you are feeling symptomatic, or are symptomatic and have been in contact with somebody who has been to one of these areas, you should seek medical advice through NHS 24."
Scotland's chief medical officer, Dr Harry Burns, said there was too little information at present to be able to comment on the rate of spread of infection.
"There are only three proven cases in Scotland, and a slightly higher figure in England," he said.
"Typically, epidemiologists will say you need 100-plus to make any kind of judgment and we are a bit away from that in the UK.
"I think good information will probably come first from the US because they have far more cases and good surveillance systems and they will be able to give the world better information of the rate of spread."
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