A 16-year-old girl died after being misdiagnosed with the H1N1 virus, when she really had tonsillitis, London’s Daily Mail reported.
Charlotte Hartey’s condition was diagnosed over the phone, like many other H1N1 viruses in the United Kingdom, but when complications arose from Charlotte’s real affliction – tonsillitis – the teenager died.
Related: U.K. Diagnosing H1N1 Online
Charlotte, of Oswestry, Shropshire in England, was prescribed Tamiflu via the flu hotline, but when she didn’t feel any better, she was admitted to the hospital on July 29 where she died two days later after her lungs collapsed.
A post-mortem exam showed Charlotte died from “natural causes.”
According to the Daily Mail, many of these H1N1 hotlines are being manned by people who are not qualified to give medical advice, much less prescribe medication.
Click here to read more on this story from the Daily Mail and to see a picture of Charlotte.
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