THE number of cases of swine flu in Scotland more than doubled today as it was confirmed 42 people now have the disease.
Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said there were 23 new cases north of the border including one new confirmed case in the Lothians.
The new Lothians case is a pupil from Eton College who returned to Edinburgh last week. This brings the to
tal confirmed cases in the area to two.
Thirteen Rangers fans who travelled on the same bus to see their team win the league were among those who have fallen ill.
Of the 23 cases confirmed today, 18 are from Dunoon in Argyll.
Of those, 11 are Rangers fans who all travelled on a supporters' bus to see the league decider against Dundee United on 24 May.
The other seven confirmed cases in the Dunoon area are contacts of this group.
And another two people who were on the Rangers supporters' bus, but who are not from the Dunoon area, were also confirmed as having the infection.
One of these people is from the Ayrshire and Arran area, while the other is from the greater Glasgow and Clyde area.
A spokesman for the Royal Bank of Scotland said one of the workers in its Dunoon branch was among the confirmed cases.
The spokesman stressed the branch was open for business as usual, with staff from other branches working there.
He said the bank had "moved quickly to ensure that any risk to the public is minimised".
The spokesman added: "The safety and well-being of our staff and customers is our priority and, as a precaution, and following advice, we have asked all other employees in the branch to remain at home for the time being."
"We are confident that the necessary steps have been taken to help prevent further transmission of the virus and, in line with health authority guidelines, the branch is open and operating on a business as usual basis, staffed by employees from other locations."
Of the 42 confirmed cases across Scotland, seven are travel-related and 35 are non-travel-related.
There are three probable cases – which are all linked to a 37-year-old man who is confirmed as having swine flu and who is in a critical but stable condition in Glasgow's Victoria Infirmary.
And there are also 34 possible cases of the disease.
Ms Sturgeon said that, despite today's increase, there was "still absolutely no need for the public to be concerned".
"Most are showing very mild symptoms and people should therefore continue taking sensible hygiene precautions to ensure preventable spread of the virus is minimised," she said.
Ms Sturgeon said the strategy for dealing with the virus was still focused on limiting its spread, where possible.
But she added: "We are probably at a stage where containment will not stop the spread, but it can slow down the virus, allowing us to buy time for our other preparations to be fully in place in case we see more widespread cases later in the year."
A new Flu Response Control Centre was also announced today to help co-ordinate attempts to tackle the virus.
The centre brings together NHS boards, NHS 24 and Health Protection Scotland at Cardonald near Glasgow.
Ms Sturgeon said: "It will provide additional resources to support public health teams on the ground."
