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London girl, 16, is critically ill with swine flu in Greece
Mark Prigg, Science and Technology Correspondent30.07.09
A London schoolgirl is fighting for her life in a Greek hospital after contracting swine flu while on holiday.
Natasha Newman, 16, from Highgate, is on a life-support machine after suffering lung damage and other complications. Doctors this morning described her condition as “critical but stable”.
The teenager was admitted to hospital on the island of Cephalonia but after her condition deteriorated and she became unconscious she was flown to Athens. Doctors at the Agia Sofia children's hospital say Natasha had swine flu for at least eight days before seeking help.
Her parents, Julian Newman and Nikki Boughton, were at her bedside. Mr Newman, a businessman, said: “Natasha is very bad. She has chronic respiratory failure. She has complications like pneumonia.”
Dr Lina Sianidou, head of the intensive care unit, said: “There is no doubt that she is suffering from swine flu. She is in a critical condition and very much struggling. It is clear she had this new virus for at least eight days before she sought help and that has made her condition worse.”
Natasha is believed to have developed a dangerously high temperature and severe breathing difficulties.
Although the family live in Highgate, Miss Newman is a pupil at Gordonstoun public school in Elgin, Scotland, where Prince Charles was a pupil.
A keen musician, she has recently completed her GCSEs and left London three weeks ago with her parents and sister Lauren for a month's holiday. She was not thought to have underlying health problems.
Her father owns north London company J Newman Textiles.
Natasha is one of three swine flu victims in intensive care in Greece.
News of her condition sparked panic on Cephalonia, where doctors at the General Prefectural Hospital in the main town Argostoli initially refused to treat her.
Tourists have been blamed for spreading the virus in Greece.
“Greece is particularly vulnerable because of its location at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and because this is the tourist season when so many start arriving from northern Europe,” said one official.
Health minister Dimitris Avramopoulos has pledged to unveil an emergency plan.
Reader views (7)
Well, many people have severe and complicated health issues before they decide to go to the doctors because they believe that it will get better by itself like how it normally does. My father is practicing medicine himself and says that most of the patients he gets are in late stages of illnesses before they seek help. I used to go to school with Sasha and to see comments like "I have no sympathy at all for fools like this" really is quite disturbing on how little people sympathize with people who are in critical condition.
- Andrew, Elgin, Scotland
Unfortunately, the Greek press is causing all this panic. Take this article which discusses Natasha's case and the doctor saying she contracted the virus in London.
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_politics_100006_31/07/2009_109427
Thousands die every year from the normal flu season and we don't see this type of paranoia.
Bravo to the Brits for their cool demeanor and not panic mongering like the Greeks.
- Yank In Greece, Athens, Greece
im greek , and i dont see how she caught over in greece and i no we have poor lavatories
- Jade, hampshire
smb,the red-haired girl is the victim Natasha Newman,therefore the photo is relevant
- Jackie, London
Who IS this woman in the stock photo being used to cover every story about swine flu? I am really sick of seeing her - can you use another photo please?
- Smb, London, UK
She was ill for eight days! It beggars belief that her dim parents took this long to seek treatment Oh the ignorance of the British public To my mind completely thick, never listen to their bodies, no wonder we have epidemics. I have no sympathy at all for fools like this
- Sheila, london uk
Unfortunately Greece's public hygiene standards are quite low and in some cases third-world like (their notorious lavatories in which you are not allowed to flush down the drain the toilet paper but urged instead to bin it in baskets!).
Wish Natasha speedy recovery!
- Sandra, London
