London’s first Swine Flu death but no need to panic

The BBC reports that a 19-year-old man has died after contracting swine flu in London, health authorities in the capital have said.

The South London man had serious underlying health problems and was in Lewisham Hospital. Tests undertaken after his death showed he had the flu.

He is the fourth person with swine flu to die in the UK. Dr Simon Tanner, from NHS London, said London has seen a “spike” in flu cases in the past week.

London is the second-worst affected area, with more than 1,900 cases.

To put this into perspective, the UK has a population of over 60 million, with 7.5 million people living in London alone. London receives around 30 million tourists a year, with over 90 million passing through UK ports. Heathrow is the world’s busiest international airport.

For more information on the capital see London Line - http://www.londononline.co.uk/factfile/population/ or Visit London – http://www.visitlondon.com/

For more advice on Swine Flu visit the useful NHS Direct website – http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/