More UK Swine Flu Cases Confirmed

The Department of Health has confirmed that 29 more patients in England have been diagnosed with http://www.uksurvive.com/store/swine-flu-masks-c-24.html#mce_temp_url#

Together with 43 new cases announced in Scotland by the Scottish Government, the UK total now stands at 664.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said 23 of the new English cases are in the west Midlands, four are in the South East and two are in the North West.

The HPA said more than 500 cases are currently under laboratory investigation in the UK.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “The localised cases of swine flu found in the UK have, in the majority of cases, not been severe and we have not seen evidence of widespread community transmission.

“We are continuing to work to slow the spread of the disease and to put in place arrangements to ensure that the UK is well-placed to deal with this new infection.

“But we must not be complacent — it is right to prepare for the possibility of a global pandemic.”

School Hit By Swine Flu Outbreak

Three pupils at a private school on Teesside have been confirmed as having swine flu.

The pupils, all girls, at Teesside High School in Eaglescliffe, began displaying symptoms late last week.

The school, which has 310 girls and 60 boys aged between three and 18, has been closed for all but those taking GCSE and A-level exams.

Medical staff from the local primary care trust are administering anti-viral drugs to all pupils and staff.

The number of swine flu cases has now topped 550 in the UK, according to the Health Protection Agency (HPA).

A spokesman for NHS Stockton-on-Tees said: “The HPA has informed the school that three of its students have tested positive for influenza A type H1N1.

“The students have already been offered anti-viral medication and are recovering well at home.

“All students and staff at the school are being offered the anti-viral drug Tamiflu as a precaution.

“Following a detailed risk assessment, the HPA and NHS Stockton-on-Tees have advised that, as a precaution, the school will close with immediate effect for a period of seven days.

“The school is working closely with the HPA and the NHS to monitor the situation.”

Head teacher Thomas Packer said it was possible a pupil could have contracted the virus during half-term.

He said: “A lot of students will have taken foreign trips to see friends and family during the half-term break.

“We have a very strict policy about anyone who displays flu-like symptoms at school, and these three girls did so.

“Hopefully by next week we will be able to open and get back to normal.”

Mr Packer said some pupils would be allowed into the school under strict segregation in order to sit pre-arranged exams.

Worldwide there have been almost 20,000 confirmed swine flu cases in 66 countries, with 117 deaths – all in Mexico and the US.