Pregnant swine flu victim critical

Mother-of-four Fallon Devaney, 25, was struggling for breath and was admitted to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

Her mother, Linda Fearney, said she had flu symptoms for more than a week and that the hospital told her she had swine flu.

Ms Fearney said she was taken aside by a doctor and told that either Miss Devaney, the unborn baby, or both could die.

Miss Devaney, from Kirk Hallam, Derbyshire, is five months pregnant with her fifth child and was still in intensive care yesterday morning, a hospital spokesman said.

He added: "We have a no-change situation, meaning she is still critical but stable."

Ms Fearney said a GP visited her daughter, who has not been vaccinated against swine flu, at her home and diagnosed her with influenza and gave her antibiotics.

But her condition deteriorated and she was admitted to hospital last Tuesday.

Hundreds of messages have been sent to Miss Devaney through a Facebook group called Get Well Soon Fallon.

One message from Tammie Watchorn said: "I am still in total shock. I hope they can do everything 4 u and baby and that u keep fighting as strong as u r." Another said: "I think someone somewhere is looking out for you Fallon, someone is fighting this battle with you."

Figures out earlier this week showed that 17 people have died from flu so far this winter.

The Health Protection Agency said 14 deaths were from swine flu and another three from flu type B.

All victims were under 65, including six under-18s. At least eight of the 17 were in an "at-risk" group, although none was pregnant and none had been vaccinated.