London school child and GP die of swine flu

An apparently healthy six-year-old London girl has died of swine flu within hours of being taken to hospital.

Chloe Buckley, from West Drayton, is the first child in Britain without underlying health problems to be killed by the virus.

A doctor in Dunstable in Bedfordshire — a hotspot for swine flu — has also died after contracting swine flu. Michael Day, 64, was taken to hospital on Saturday and died the same day. His patients are being contacted to screen them for the H1N1 virus. Chloe died at St Mary's Hospital in Paddington a day after her GP is reported to have wrongly diagnosed her illness as tonsillitis.

It is alleged that Chloe was taken to her GP with a sore throat on Wednesday but was sent home without being prescribed antiviral flu drug Tamiflu. Chloe's condition deteriorated overnight and her parents Michael, 40, and Jacinta, 37, took her to Hillingdon Hospital in Uxbridge on Thursday morning.

She was transferred for emergency treatment to St Mary's but died a few hours later. She was due to celebrate her seventh birthday on Friday. Sara Benn, headteacher of St Catherine's RC primary school where Chloe was a pupil, said today: "It is impossible to put into words the sorrow that the whole school feels in such tragic circumstances.

"Chloe was a bright and tenacious student with a keen interest in sports and will be missed by her fellow pupils and teachers at the school. Our thoughts are with the parents and family. We are working with the council and health authority to support parents and pupils dealing with this devastating news." Preliminary tests revealed Chloe had contracted swine flu while a post-mortem carried out today will determine the cause of death.

Chloe is only the second person in Britain to have died of the illness despite apparently not suffering any other health issues. Her death will spark fears that the virus is becoming increasingly potent.

A mother with a child at the same school said today: "Chloe was fit and healthy and in school on Monday and Tuesday. By Wednesday she had developed a very sore throat.

"But the doctor said she had tonsillitis and sent her home. Overnight she became incredibly unwell. Her parents are devastated because they feel Chloe could be alive if she was given Tamiflu on Wednesday."

The couple, who have been married for 15 years, have two other children — boys aged 10 and 12. The family are understood to be devout Catholics.

Many of the girl's classmates were being kept at home today. A spokeswoman for Hillingdon Hospital said: "A post-mortem will be carried out on Chloe to identify if she had any underlying health conditions and to determine the cause of death."

Simon Tanner, regional director of public health for London, confirmed Chloe had caught swine flu in this country. He said: "In London we have a steeply rising number of cases. The fact the virus is spreading in the community means everyone has a chance of getting it as they go about their normal lives. This will probably not be the last death." GPs' surgeries across London were today told to prepare for a "swine flu panic" as thousands seek advice.

Dr Day's death is now subject to investigation. A swab taken at Luton and Dunstable Hospital confirmed the GP, who had practised in the area for 35 years, had contracted swine flu.

Further tests will determine whether he died of the virus and whether he had underlying health problems. Authorities will also investigate whether a patient passed the virus on to him. Dr Paul Hassan, senior partner at Priory Gardens Health Centre where Dr Day was a GP, said: "This news has come as such a shock to us all and we are completely devastated."

Chloe and Dr Day are the 16th and 17th British people to die while suffering swine flu, although 14 deaths have been attributed to underlying health problems. There are almost 10,000 confirmed cases of swine flu in the UK — the third-highest in the world behind Mexico and the US.