A woman critically ill with swine flu has given birth to a premature baby, it was learnt yesterday.

The baby was born almost three months early on Monday at the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, Renfrewshire, and is being looked after in intensive care. The baby's mother, 38, is still in intensive care at the hospital and is critical but stable. It is understood the baby does not have swine flu.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence confirmed a case of swine flu at Catterick, the army's largest base in Europe. A soldier is under quarantine at the base.

The number of people with swine flu in the UK passed 500 yesterday, the Health Protection Agency said.