Swine flu father tells of regret

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/shropshire/8193295.stm

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The father of a girl who died from complications arising from tonsillitis after being diagnosed with swine flu has been speaking about his daughter.

Charlotte Hartey, 16, of Oswestry, Shropshire, died in hospital on 31 July. She had been diagnosed with swine flu over the phone a few days earlier.

Karl Hartey said if he could relive the last few days he would have picked her up and taken her to a doctor's surgery.

"No-one should die of tonsillitis at 16 years of age," he said.

Speaking of the night she died, he said he had never seen so many people, family and hospital staff included, in tears.

"If swine flu is the epidemic that everyone says will come in September and October and if we are seeing problems now - how many Charlottes will slip through the system?" he said.

Speaking about his daughter he said she was passionate about life.

"She made an impact on people's lives," Mr Hartey added.

A post-mortem examination found Charlotte died from natural causes.