Swine flu girl pictures released

Sameerah Ahmad had attended a school in Birmingham

The family of a six-year-old girl who died after contracting swine flu have released pictures of her.

Sameerah Ahmad, who was born with a rare disorder which affected her small intestine, died at Birmingham Children's Hospital on Friday evening.

Her father Imran Ahmad, from Edgbaston, told the opening of the inquest on Tuesday his daughter had "been through a lot" with health problems.

It is not yet known if swine flu contributed to her death.

Sameerah is the youngest person in the UK to die after contracting the virus. Her death is the third swine flu-related fatality in country, a man and a woman in Scotland have also died.

'Public information'

Aiden Cotter, Birmingham and Solihull coroner, confirmed Sameerah had been infected with the H1N1 virus when she died and gave details of other serious health problems.

She was born with a rare genetic disorder affecting the small intestine called microvillus inclusion disease, which causes severe and often life-threatening diarrhoea, the inquest heard.

Mr Cotter said he was releasing more information about Sameerah's death than was usual at the opening of an inquest to provide information to the public.

A post-mortem examination was due to be carried out on Tuesday and the inquest was adjourned.

Sameerah attended Mayfield School, a school for children with special needs, in Lozells, Birmingham. It has been closed until Monday.