A YOUNG mum with swine flu has died in hospital just days after giving birth to her first child.

Susan Ford was 35 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to Salford Royal Hospital with severe, flu-like symptoms. Her condition deteriorated rapidly and sahe was given an emergency caesarian section early the following day.

Her daughter Poppy was born healthy but Susan, 31, had to be placed on a ventilator and transferred to intensive care. Doctors confirmed she had the H1N1 virus and she was given Tamiflu, but her condition worsened when she developed severe pneumonia. She died at 4.30am on Saturday - 18 days after giving birth

Susan, a post-graduate student, who lived in Leigh, Wigan, was engaged to her partner John Freeman, 26. Poppy, who weighed five-and-a-half pounds, was due to go home from hospital today.

Susan's heartbroken mum Wynne said: "She was looking forward to being a mother and she and John were planning their whole lives together. The staff at the hospital did everything they could for Susan and I can't fault them at all."

Susan's family has now called for special machines to be put into every hospital to help people suffering from the H1N1 virus. The ExtraCorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) machines, which circulate the patient's blood outside the body and add oxygen to it artificially, have already saved some people's lives.

But there only a handful of adult beds in the country and there are none in the north west. Mrs Ford said: "We don't know if Susan would have survived if she would have access to one, but we believe that she would have had a better chance. But those machines should be in every big city hospital in the country. "

John said: "I don't know if one of the machines would have helped, but the question about them needs to be answered."

There were an estimated 78,000 new cases of swine flu nationally last week, up from 53,000 the week before. The death toll last week stood at 137. The first supplies of the vaccine are being sent out to GPs.

A study in one US medical journal says most patients with swine flu who have severe respiratory failure will survive if they receive ECMO treatment. But there is only one adult unit in England, at the Glenfield Hospital in Leicester. The unit has five beds.

Susan's uncle Robin Donnelly-Gallagher, 53, said: "Susan was full of health and very much looking forward to the birth of her baby.

"It's a scandal that no ECMO machines are available in Greater Manchester to help people with swine flu.

"Susan may have lived and Poppy would have had a mum to help her grow up. Now it's too late and the family grieves for our beautiful, lost Susan."

Dr Julie Higgins said: "Our experience so far is that those pregnant women who are getting swine flu are only developing mild symptoms."

She said pregnant women should carry on with day-to-day activities, but should observe good hand hygiene, avoid contact with anyone who is suspected of having swine flu and contact their GP if they have flu-like symptoms.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "To ensure the NHS is in the strongest position to respond to swine flu, robust plans have been put in place to double critical care capacity. This includes doubling the number of adult ECMO beds to ten."

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