United Kingdom-Swine flu in Devon.
UNITED KINGDOM-SWINE FLU.
THE threat of swine flu spreading in the Westcountry is now "likely" after a 12-year-old Devon schoolgirl was confirmed as one of the first three people in England to be struck down with the potentially deadly virus.
Health officials announced the warning after Amy Whitehouse, a Year 7 pupil at Paignton Community and Sports College in Devon, was confirmed as one of three new cases to become infected.
Amy, who contracted swine flu after holidaying in Mexico, is today in isolation at home in Torbay where she was last night said to be responding well to treatment and "doing fine" despite suffering "mild-like symptoms" of swine flu. Her family have also been treated with anti-viral drugs.
The college was yesterday closed until May 11 as a precaution. Some pupils were in tears as they left the campus yesterday afternoon after a special assembly. It is understood teaching staff were made aware of the situation in a separate briefing and also sent home.
Dr Sarah Harrison, infection control lead and consultant in communicable disease control for the Local Health Protection Unit, warned that more swine flu cases were "likely" in Devon.
Asked how worried people should be, Dr Harrison said: "We have not been surprised to find that there are cases in the UK and further tests have been carried out in Devon, as in other parts of the country, but we can’t give out numbers until there is confirmation.
"At the moment, nobody can say how much it is likely to spread but I would like to reassure people that there are a lot of plans that have been put in place in advance, and as the situation progresses we should be in a good situation to deal with it."
But, she added: "This is a new virus so nobody will have an immunity, for normal seasonal flu some people have immunity.
"The problem with the new virus is that it could potentially affect more people, not that it is necessarily more dangerous.
"We also know it can spread from person to person. What we don’t know yet how infectious it is."
Amy and her family were on the same flight from Mexico as Britain’s first confirmed victims, Iain and Dawn Askham, of Polmont, near Falkirk, who were still being treated in hospital yesterday after falling ill on their return from honeymoon. She is now one of five people in the country with the virus, including a 41-year-old woman from Redditch, Worcestershire, and a 22-year-old man from north west London, all of whom contracted the disease after recent visits to Mexico.
Last night there was no comment from Amy’s family at the home she shares with her mother Rose and father Neil in Maidenway Road, Paignton.
However, earlier in the day they left a message on a website forum to quash fears that Amy might have been at the school even after she started displaying symptoms.
A message left on the website of the Western Morning News’ sister paper, the Herald Express – signed "Parent of girl concerned" – said: "Thank you to all the well wishers. To clarify to some though – we did not send our daughter to school when she had any symptoms.
"She started back at school last Wednesday. She first showed symptoms on Friday evening. On Saturday she was seen by doctors at Torbay Hospital and has been kept in isolation at home since. She has not been to school at all this week."
Parents at the gates of Amy’s community college were left angry and concerned yesterday as the first they knew about the case was when Gordon Brown announced it during Prime Minister’s Questions earlier in the day.
The news was then told to pupils at the school, prompting some to shout at schoolmates to "cover your mouths" as mild panic set in. One girl’s parent said: "I am furious. We are not being given the information we need. It is very worrying. I just want to get her home so there is less risk of infection. We have been here for hours but the kids are staying in until they have had a dose of the anti-flu medicine. It is chaos and everyone is scared."
Mother Sheena Gill said: "There are no words to describe it. It is frightening. Devastating and very scary.
"My daughter is very upset and we are off to the doctors to get her checked out."
Her daughter Gordanne, 13, added: "We were told one student has swine flu. I don’t want to get it. Lots of children were crying."
Lisa Walton, 36, who has two sons, Liam and Jack, at the school, said: "We just had no idea about what was happening here.
"The school had not told us about it, and my son said the pupils were told around 1pm today. Right now we just don’t know what to think. Obviously it’s a worry."
Charlotte Cleverdon, aged 11, was in Amy’s class 7G1 when they were told their classmate had swine flu.
She said: "This afternoon at 1pm a teacher came in and told us what was happening and we were going home. Everyone started crying and holding their noses. I know Amy well. She’s nice and I am worried about her."
Charlotte’s mother Lorraine, 36, said: "It’s a shock. I am really worried and I just want to get my daughter home."
Every pupil from Amy’s year was yesterday kept back at school to be given a dose of anti-viral drug Tamiflu as parents were told the school would be closed for a week. There were also fears last night that South Devon could become a "no-go area" following news of the outbreak.
Health Secretary Alan Johnson was moved to stress there was no reason for people not to travel to the Paignton area after Tory MP for Totnes Anthony Steen raised the concerns to ministers yesterday. Addressing the Cabinet Minister in the Commons, Mr Steen said: "The important point I would like to make to the minister is the widespread concern in South Devon that it’s going to become a no-go area, people are going to be told not to travel by train there, the hotels will empty, nobody will go near the place. I do think he has an obligation to the House to explain just how serious a threat this is and just how serious it is for people not to get worried about travelling and carrying on with their present arrangements."
Mr Johnson told the Commons Amy was being treated with anti-viral drugs, and was "responding extremely well" and "doing fine". He said: "There’s absolutely no reason why anybody shouldn’t travel to Paignton or anywhere near Paignton."
He also revealed that Amy had been in "close contact" with 50 fellow pupils and others. As a precaution, all 230 youngsters in the girl’s year group have been treated with anti-viral drugs.
However, he told the Commons it was "inevitable" there would be more confirmed cases of the disease.
Officials from the Health Protection Agency were on hand at the school yesterday to give advice to concerned parents. Torbay Care Trust and the Health Protection Agency have given the entire school year the drug Tamiflu and said the college had been closed as "an absolute precaution". A spokesman confirmed Amy returned to school last Wednesday and developed mild-like flu symptoms at the end of last week. The official added: "She was seen by a local doctor who took throat swabs. These have now been confirmed as the H1N1 strain which is the same strain as identified as the previous two cases in Scotland."
The HPA urged people who may have been in close contact with the young girl to monitor their health but stressed there was "no need" to isolate themselves, unless they displayed symptoms.
The health body said the term "close contact" was defined as being within a distance of one-metre or less and for longer than one hour.
Letters were prepared for parents of all 1,926 pupils at the com
