UK school closures continue as swine flu numbers rise
Five UK schools will remain closed today as nine more cases of swine flu were confirmed, bringing the total to 27.
The Dolphin School in Battersea, south London, last night announced it was closing for a few days after two of its pupils fell ill with the virus.
It is the fifth UK school to be closed as a result of swine flu.
Alleyn’s School, in Dulwich, south-east London, South Hampstead High School in north west London, Downend School in South Gloucestershire and Paignton Community and Sports College in Devon have already closed.
The two Dolphin School pupils are siblings and are close contacts of a previously confirmed case, the Health Protection Agency said.
But it said that the school closure was not necessary as other pupils did not display any symptoms.
A telephone answering message at the independent primary school informed parents that the decision had been taken as a precautionary measure by the board of governors.
Other recent cases included five Year Seven pupils at Alleyn’s School, in Dulwich, south-east London, who were off sick on Friday.
A pupil who visited the US during the Easter holidays had already been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus.
The school, which will remain shut until next Monday, announced Tamiflu anti-viral medication would be supplied to all 1,200 pupils as well as staff and parents.
Headmaster Dr Colin Diggory said: “We have been working very closely with the HPA as soon as we were made aware of the possible infection of one of our pupils.
“It is as a direct result of this precaution that the HPA were able so quickly to identify others who have become infected.
“We are told by the HPA that the affected pupils are responding well to the Tamiflu treatment and that they are recovering well.
“It was a difficult decision to make to close the school, particularly with public examinations in the pipeline. However, we are making contingency plans for those pupils due to take exams.”
Sophie De Salis, 12, one of the Alleyn’s pupils with swine flu, told the Daily Mail: “I just felt like I had a cough and was under the weather. When I found out it was swine flu I was worried but really it just felt like a normal cold. I don’t think it’s anything to worry about.”
One parent, Cornelia Miller, 45, a psychotherapist said her year-seven daughter, Zoe, was displaying some symptoms and would now have to be swabbed for swine flu, as would the rest of the family.
She said her daughter did not know the children who had fallen ill, adding: “It is a friendly school, they all have parties and they mix a lot. My daughter has been ill since Wednesday but kids do get sniffles all the time.
“The school has been fantastic. It’s a Bank Holiday Monday and all the staff are in. They’ve been brilliant.”
But Year 12 students said they were concerned about effect of the closure on forthcoming exams.
Charlotte Bailey-Wood, 17, has French and Spanish oral exams in the next fortnight.
She said: “I’m in my last year and the last thing I want is to catch anything that will hold me back from doing my best.
“It’s just really shocking because it’s the last thing that you expect happening to your school.”
In addition to the seven school children, two adults – who recently returned from Mexico – from London and the West Midlands were also diagnosed with swine flu yesterday.
A Department of Health spokesman said seven of the cases confirmed yesterday appeared to have been acquired from person-to-person contact.
“Nine new cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the UK – one in the West Midlands and eight in London.
“Seven of the nine cases appear to have been acquired through person-to-person spread. Two cases are in people who have recently returned from Mexico.
“There are now 27 confirmed cases in the UK – 23 in England and four in Scotland.
“The arrangements in place across the UK are continuing to ensure that we are well-placed to deal with this new infection.”
A spokesman for the HPA said: “Those who are still unwell are receiving anti-viral treatment and are recovering at home.
“The Health Protection Agency is working to ensure that any close contacts of these cases are offered anti-virals as a precautionary measure.”
A spokesman for NHS London said 13 cases of swine flu have now been confirmed in the capital.
“NHS London is working closely with the HPA and Southwark PCT to take all the necessary action to contain the outbreak at the Alleyn’s School,” he said.
The London adult confirmed with swine flu yesterday is from the Hammersmith and Fulham borough and had recently returned from Mexico, he said.
The HPA said more than 300 suspected swine flu cases are currently being tested.
World Health Organisation (WHO) spokesman Dick Thompson yesterday said the agency may raise its pandemic level from five to its highest alert, level six.
Spain’s Health Ministry said 54 cases have now been confirmed in the hardest-hit nation in Europe.
Portugal confirmed its first case yesterday, a 30-year-old woman who recently returned from a holiday in Mexico.
France confirmed two new cases in people who had been to Mexico, taking the total number to four.
The UK's Environment Secretary Hilary Benn yesterday said Britain must remain vigilant although the flu was “relatively mild and responds well to treatment here in the UK”.
“It’s best to play safe in relation to this. We are still not absolutely sure what it is that we are dealing with,” Mr Benn told GMTV.
The UK's Health Secretary Alan Johnson told the BBC he expects a second, more serious, wave of cases later this year.
The Department of Health’s swine flu information line is on 0800 1513 513.
