‘Miracle’ recovery of swine flu girl, 4

A girl aged four who was seriously ill with swine flu had a "miracle cure" when London doctors gave her a drug normally only used on adults.

Jessie Flewker is the youngest patient in Britain to be given the aggressive anti-flu drug Relenza.

Doctors at Evelina Children's Hospital, attached to St Thomas' Hospital, gave her the drug in a last-ditch attempt to save her life. Jessie, of Deal, Kent, was near death after developing a potentially deadly brain swelling. But within 12 hours of being given the medication she woke up from a three-day coma.

Her grandmother Carol, 58, said: "They are calling her a walking miracle. She was on the brink of death when the doctors decided to give her the drug. We owe her life to the hospital's doctors and nurses. They were fantastic."

Jessie became ill on 27 October when she had a fit while out with her grandmother. She was put in a coma and given tests. Despite not having a high temperature — a swine flu symptom — she was diagnosed with the virus.

Her condition worsened and scans showed she had an inflammation of the brain previously unseen in a swine flu victim.

Dr Marilyn McDougall said: "We were very worried about Jessie as a significant number of children do not recover from this.

"We changed her treatment to include Relenza and saw a very dramatic response."