Swine flu: Handsworth school outbreak is largest in UK
A total of 50 pupils, teachers and their parents connected to a Birmingham school have been confirmed with swine flu in the largest outbreak in the UK – but health bosses believe numbers will rise further.
A female pupil at Welford Primary School, in Handsworth, was diagnosed with H1N1 on Friday, but since then 44 other children and five adults, a mix of teachers and parents, have tested positive for the virus.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has revealed the school may not re-open after half-term week and officers were closely monitoring the situation.
A deep clean of all school premises is under way while teachers, parents and pupils have been offered anti-viral drugs. Those affected are reported to have responded well.
Ann Fleming, HPA spokeswoman for the West Midlands, said: “There are now a total of 50 confirmed cases connected to Welford Primary School, which is the largest number of confirmed cases connected to one place so far. There are still a number of laboratory results outstanding and the numbers of confirmed cases at the school are expected to rise.
“Since this investigation began the HPA has been working alongside the school to contact all parents and teachers to find out if they had any symptoms. We are continually looking at the situation and if there are still a lot of pupils and teachers affected with swine flu next week, we won’t reopen the school.”
There were 44 newly-confirmed cases yesterday linked to the Handsworth school. In a separate case, a teenager in Worcestershire, a sibling of the three children confirmed last week, has been diagnosed with swine flu following a family holiday to Orlando, in America.
