A further nine cases of swine flu have been confirmed in England, taking the total number of cases in the UK to 27. A school in London has been closed as a precaution. For parents concerned about their child's welfare, follow the 'advice for parents' link below.
New swine flu cases in England
Nine new cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the UK – one in the West Midlands and eight in London.
There are now 27 confirmed cases in the UK – 23 in England and four in Scotland. Seven of the nine cases appear to have been acquired through person-to-person spread.
Two of the new cases are adults, one from London and the other West Midlands. Both of these people had recently returned from Mexico.
Two cases are siblings of school age in London. Both had been in close contact with a previously confirmed case in a returned traveller to the US.
London school closed
Five further cases are of school age from London. These five all attend one school. As a precautionary measure the school will remain closed following the bank holiday weekend, initially for seven consecutive days.
All pupils at the school are being offered anti viral drugs as a precautionary measure. There is no need for these individuals to qurentine themselves from the community unless they show symptoms.
The five cases attend the same school as a pupil who had recently returned from the US and has already been confirmed with swine flu. During investigations into this case, as an extra precaution, pupils in the same year who were off school because they were feeling unwell - irrespective of symptoms - at the end of last week, were followed up by local health protection experts and assessed for flu-like symptoms. These investigations resulted in five pupils being confirmed with swine flu.
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 antivirals as a precautionary measure.
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