NHS Herefordshire and Herefordshire Council are receiving reports of single numbers of pupils diagnosed with swine flu in a handful of nurseries and schools in the county. In some cases other family members have been diagnosed with swine flu.
The management of the nurseries and schools are working closely with the health agencies and Herefordshire Council to monitor the situation. Yesterday (9 July 2009) further guidance was distributed to all schools, nurseries and early years providers in the county from the director of public health and the director of the council’s children’s services.
NHS Herefordshire stresses that there is now good evidence that for the vast majority of swine flu patients the illness is generally moderate, and people do recover quickly. There is no need for nurseries or schools to close if pupils or staff are diagnosed. The primary care trust has not named the schools to give them time to ensure they have communicated with and reassured all pupils, parents, staff and members of the school community.
In line with national pandemic flu plans, the government decided on 2 July that the UK would move from a ‘containment’ phase to a ‘treatment’ phase. Efforts to contain the spread of the virus bought valuable time to learn more about the new virus, to build antiviral stocks and to start to develop a vaccine.
Scientists expect to see rapid rises in the number of cases and GPs and NHS Direct will now provide clinical diagnosis and prescribe treatment, rather than take swabs and await the results of laboratory testing. This means that it will be impossible to provide a running commentary on actual numbers of cases.
Parents are advised to contact their local doctor of NHS Direct on 0845 4647 if they or their children are showing flu-like symptoms, which include fever and one of the following: cough, headache, runny noses, joint/limb pains, diarrhoea or sore throat.
There are simple steps that everyone can take to protect themselves from viral infections, based on good respiratory and hand hygiene. These include:
• Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible.
• Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully.
• Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people.
• Cleaning hard surfaces (e.g. door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product.
• Making sure your children follow this advice.