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Swine flu 'is not a plague' Sir Liam Donaldson has said as he urged schoolchildren not to shun or bully fellow pupils who have contracted the virus.
By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
Last Updated: 9:34PM BST 07 May 2009
Swine Flu is not 'some plague that has descended' says Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson
Swine Flu is not 'some plague that has descended' says Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson Photo: GEOFF PUGH
Sir Liam, chief medical officer, said instances where children who have caught H1N1 swine flu and been bullied by text message were 'quite wrong' and added: "It is very important not to be complacent but we cannot over react. This is not some plague that has descended on the school."
Earlier this week it emerged Phoebe Wyburd, 12, one of six children at Alleyn's School in Dulwich, south London, to have contracted the virus, was sent a text message saying 'you are going to die'.
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The school is one of five that closed this week after pupils contracted swine flu on holiday and is preparing to reopen next week.
There have been 13 confirmed cases in children and all have remained isolated at home and are being treated with antiviral drugs. The drug, Tamiflu, has also been given to students who have had contacted with infected pupils as a precaution.
Alan Johnson, Health Secretary, said: "In the early stages the danger was that the outbreak might spread panic, now the danger is complacency."
He said it is reasonable to expect more cases in Britain in the weeks and months ahead and warned that while all the patients so far had been only mildly unwell, scientists cannot rule out that the virus may mutate into a more dangerous form and return in the Autumn.
He announced that a total of 227m face masks had been ordered along with 33m respirators for NHS workers in contact with potentially infected patients in the event of a pandemic.
Sir Liam added that the high temperatures may be inhibiting the spread of the disease in Mexico, the epicentre of the outbreak where there have been 1,112 cases and 42 deaths, and experts would be watching to see how the virus behaves in the southern hemisphere as winter and the traditional flu season starts there.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/s...gue-chief-medical-officer-tells-children.html
By Rebecca Smith, Medical Editor
Last Updated: 9:34PM BST 07 May 2009
Swine Flu is not 'some plague that has descended' says Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson
Swine Flu is not 'some plague that has descended' says Chief Medical Officer Liam Donaldson Photo: GEOFF PUGH
Sir Liam, chief medical officer, said instances where children who have caught H1N1 swine flu and been bullied by text message were 'quite wrong' and added: "It is very important not to be complacent but we cannot over react. This is not some plague that has descended on the school."
Earlier this week it emerged Phoebe Wyburd, 12, one of six children at Alleyn's School in Dulwich, south London, to have contracted the virus, was sent a text message saying 'you are going to die'.
Related Articles
*
Swine flu: British couple 'quarantined' in Hong Kong to be released
*
Ministers should prevent schools from closing, Tory MP claims
*
Swine flu: two new UK cases
*
Swine Flu: how events unfolded around the world
*
Swine flu: 'premature' to assume virus is mild, warns Sir Liam Donaldson
*
12-year-old swine flu victim told 'you're going to die' in cruel text message
The school is one of five that closed this week after pupils contracted swine flu on holiday and is preparing to reopen next week.
There have been 13 confirmed cases in children and all have remained isolated at home and are being treated with antiviral drugs. The drug, Tamiflu, has also been given to students who have had contacted with infected pupils as a precaution.
Alan Johnson, Health Secretary, said: "In the early stages the danger was that the outbreak might spread panic, now the danger is complacency."
He said it is reasonable to expect more cases in Britain in the weeks and months ahead and warned that while all the patients so far had been only mildly unwell, scientists cannot rule out that the virus may mutate into a more dangerous form and return in the Autumn.
He announced that a total of 227m face masks had been ordered along with 33m respirators for NHS workers in contact with potentially infected patients in the event of a pandemic.
Sir Liam added that the high temperatures may be inhibiting the spread of the disease in Mexico, the epicentre of the outbreak where there have been 1,112 cases and 42 deaths, and experts would be watching to see how the virus behaves in the southern hemisphere as winter and the traditional flu season starts there.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/s...gue-chief-medical-officer-tells-children.html