UK crew member in hospital after Mexico flight

By Avril Ormsby

LONDON (Reuters) - A British Airways cabin crew member was taken to a London hospital as a precaution after developing flu-like symptoms on a flight from Mexico City, the airline said on Saturday.

It was the first such reported precautionary measure in Britain since the emergence of a new flu strain that has killed up to 68 people in Mexico. It has also infected at least 11 people in the United States. The man has undergone tests, but the results are not expected back until at least Sunday. No other crew members or passengers on the BA242 flight into Heathrow airport were detained.

"He has flu-like symptoms and is responding well to treatment," a hospital spokesman said in a statement.

"The patient was admitted directly to a side room and the hospital is scrupulously following infection control procedures to ensure there is no risk to any other individual in the hospital."

A Health Protection Agency (HPA) spokesman said in a statement: "We are aware of a patient admitted to a London hospital with reported travel history to Mexico.

"As a precautionary measure the patient is being tested for a range of respiratory and other illnesses in line with UK health guidance.

"At present there have been no confirmed cases of human swine flu in the UK or anywhere in Europe."

The new flu strain -- a mixture of swine, human and avian flu viruses -- is still poorly understood and the situation is evolving quickly, the World Health Organisation said.