New mum is latest swine flu victim (From Leigh Journal)

New mum is latest swine flu victim

4:30pm Tuesday 3rd November 2009 in

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A NEW mum has died from swine flu just a fortnight after giving birth to her first child.

Susan Ford, aged 31, and from Leigh, died on Saturday 18 days after giving birth five weeks premature by emergency caesarean section.

The post-graduate student was 35 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to hospital with flu-like symptoms.

A family friend said: "It is so tragic. Sadly Susan's condition quickly deteriorated and doctors decided she needed an emergency caesarean. Fortunately, her daughter Poppy is a healthy baby. She weighed five and a half pounds at birth."

Susan died on Saturday morning at Salford Royal (Hope) Hospital where she had been under intensive care since giving birth.

She had been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus and given Tamiflu, but she developed pneumonia.

Susan and her fiance John Freeman were eagerly planning their future as a family with Poppy, who is this week due to go home from hospital.

Her family have now called for ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machines, which boost the oxygen in circulation within the patient's bloodstream, to be installed in major hospitals to help H1N1 virus sufferers.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "To ensure the NHS is in the strongest position to respond to swine flu, robust plans have been put in place to double critical care capacity. This includes doubling the number of adult ECMO beds to 10."

Early last month 24 years-old ex-Fred Longworth High pupil Louise Jones from Tyldesley was another tragic swine flu victim.

The former air hostess died in hospital at Salford after being taken ill while on holiday in Crete. Her condition worsened when she returned home and died after two weeks intensive care in Hope.

Her parents, Ken and Theresa Legge, from Manchester Road, Tyldesley, have urged people to seek urgent medical help if they think they have swine flu symptoms. Her father also called for more ECMO equipment to be available because Louise had been deemed too ill to travel for such specialist treatment in the Midlands.

A third local victim, Catholic priest Fr. Edward O'Toole, of St Edward RC Church and St Cuthbert's RC Church, Wigan died last Tuesday (October 27) after he contracted the virus after visiting Fatima, in Portugal.

The 47 year-old arrived back in England at the beginning of October with flu symptoms. He was admitted to Wigan Infirmary with chest and kidney infections and was diagnosed with swine flu.

Regional Director for Public Health Dr Ruth Hussey advised: "I urge people to take swine flu seriously. Irrespective of whether you decide to take anti-virals you need to monitor your symptoms closely and if you fail to improve or suddenly deteriorate call your GP for advice."

"If you are in one of the groups identified as being a priority you should take up the offer of vaccine."