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Dozens of ?swine flu? cases being reported across Cumbria
By Pamela McGowan Health reporter
Last updated 12:01, Thursday, 16 July 2009
Dozens of cases of suspected swine flu are now being reported at schools and workplaces across the county.
Seascale Primary School in west Cumbria has closed for the summer a day early after a mother of three pupils contracted the virus.
An emergency governors meeting was held last night when it was decided ? against the advice of health chiefs ? to close early to reduce the risk of infection. It was due to hold a mass assembly for its leavers but will now rearrange this as a presentation evening in September. The school will be open tomorrow for children to collect their belongings.
Three schools in Brampton, Ullswater Community College in Penrith, Appleby Grammar School and Carlisle?s Robert Ferguson School are just some of the others to have been hit by suspected cases.
There have also been a further five suspected among Sellafield workers this week, taking its total to seven.
However, health chiefs are warning parents not to panic or keep their children away from schools, nurseries or other childcare facilities for fear of them catching it.
The advice for these facilities is to remain open and operate as normal. Only children with flu-like symptoms are being kept at home and the vast majority will recover in a week without the need for medication.
At a special swine flu briefing in Penrith yesterday, representatives from NHS Cumbria, Cumbria County Council and the Health Protection Agency gave an update on the local situation to the media. Despite outbreaks in the West Midlands and London, there have only been four confirmed cases of swine flu in Cumbria.
This compares to just under 200 across the entire north west region, most of which were in either Merseyside or Greater Manchester. There have been no deaths from swine flu in the region.
Now ? having had time to study the severity and nature of the virus, health chiefs have changed the way they deal with it. Instead of testing every individual case to confirm it, they are now treating every flu-like illness as if it is swine flu. This means there will undoubtedly be an increase in cases. People with symptoms are urged not to visit their surgery or health centre in case they pass it on, but instead contact their GP by phone. They will then go through the symptoms and decide whether to issue anti-viral drugs ? which can help ease symptoms but are not a complete cure.
Health chiefs stress there is no need to panic as the virus is not as severe as initially feared during the Mexico outbreak.
Only in rare cases will swine flu prove fatal. Experts stress that the consequences are no different to those of the seasonal flu that hits the country every winter, killing hundreds of people nationally.
Parents are being urged only to keep children at home if they have symptoms, and they should then seek medical advice as above.
A vaccination programme will be rolled out later in the year. In the meantime, personal hygiene is cited as the biggest thing people can do to prevent children contracting swine flu.
n If you believe you or a family member may have swine flu check your symptoms at www.nhs.uk and call 0800 1513513 for advice. You can then either contact your GP by phone or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647. Do not go to your GP surgery in person or the hospital.
By Pamela McGowan Health reporter
Last updated 12:01, Thursday, 16 July 2009
Dozens of cases of suspected swine flu are now being reported at schools and workplaces across the county.
Seascale Primary School in west Cumbria has closed for the summer a day early after a mother of three pupils contracted the virus.
An emergency governors meeting was held last night when it was decided ? against the advice of health chiefs ? to close early to reduce the risk of infection. It was due to hold a mass assembly for its leavers but will now rearrange this as a presentation evening in September. The school will be open tomorrow for children to collect their belongings.
Three schools in Brampton, Ullswater Community College in Penrith, Appleby Grammar School and Carlisle?s Robert Ferguson School are just some of the others to have been hit by suspected cases.
There have also been a further five suspected among Sellafield workers this week, taking its total to seven.
However, health chiefs are warning parents not to panic or keep their children away from schools, nurseries or other childcare facilities for fear of them catching it.
The advice for these facilities is to remain open and operate as normal. Only children with flu-like symptoms are being kept at home and the vast majority will recover in a week without the need for medication.
At a special swine flu briefing in Penrith yesterday, representatives from NHS Cumbria, Cumbria County Council and the Health Protection Agency gave an update on the local situation to the media. Despite outbreaks in the West Midlands and London, there have only been four confirmed cases of swine flu in Cumbria.
This compares to just under 200 across the entire north west region, most of which were in either Merseyside or Greater Manchester. There have been no deaths from swine flu in the region.
Now ? having had time to study the severity and nature of the virus, health chiefs have changed the way they deal with it. Instead of testing every individual case to confirm it, they are now treating every flu-like illness as if it is swine flu. This means there will undoubtedly be an increase in cases. People with symptoms are urged not to visit their surgery or health centre in case they pass it on, but instead contact their GP by phone. They will then go through the symptoms and decide whether to issue anti-viral drugs ? which can help ease symptoms but are not a complete cure.
Health chiefs stress there is no need to panic as the virus is not as severe as initially feared during the Mexico outbreak.
Only in rare cases will swine flu prove fatal. Experts stress that the consequences are no different to those of the seasonal flu that hits the country every winter, killing hundreds of people nationally.
Parents are being urged only to keep children at home if they have symptoms, and they should then seek medical advice as above.
A vaccination programme will be rolled out later in the year. In the meantime, personal hygiene is cited as the biggest thing people can do to prevent children contracting swine flu.
n If you believe you or a family member may have swine flu check your symptoms at www.nhs.uk and call 0800 1513513 for advice. You can then either contact your GP by phone or call NHS Direct on 0845 4647. Do not go to your GP surgery in person or the hospital.
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