Man in coma after mosquito bite

A holidaymaker has been left in a coma after becoming the first suspected European victim of a deadly virus.

Michael Nicholson, from Livingston, West Lothian, contracted the little known "Triple E" bug from a mosquito bite in the US, his family said.

It is thought the 35-year-old painter and decorator was bitten while fishing in New Hampshire this summer.

Mr Nicholson's relatives said if he lives he is expected to be severely disabled for the rest of his life.

He is being treated in Edinburgh's Western General Hospital.

The virus, known as Eastern Equine Encephalitis or Triple E, is regarded as one of the most serious mosquito-borne diseases on the North American continent.

It is found mainly in the eastern regions of the US and has a 35% mortality rate.