Swine flu: Brookes says 10 infected (From Oxford Mail)

Swine flu: Brookes says 10 infected

8:01pm Monday 6th July 2009 in

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TEN students staying at Oxford Brookes University are believed to have contracted swine flu, it emerged tonight.

Brookes confirmed that all 10 students believed to have contracted the H1N1 strain of the flu virus were summer students from privately-run schools, who are currently staying at the Wheatley campus.

The university added that it was not awaiting test results.

Rex Knight, deputy vice chancellor and registrar at the university, said that Brookes plan-ned to remain “open and operational” despite the sickness outbreak.

He said: “Given the Government’s latest advice on the spread of the flu, this is not an unexpected development at the university.

“Arrangements have been made for the students affected to remain isolated and they have received appropriate medical attention.

“Advice is being given to staff and students who may be especially vulnerable to developing or contracting flu. Cleaning arrangements have also been stepped up as a precautionary measure.”

In the UK, a total of five people – who all had underlying health problems – have died after contracting swine flu, but the Government has said the number of new cases could reach 100,000 per day by the end of August.

The Government’s chief medical officer has also warned the public to avoid panic-buying “counterfeit” anti-swine flu drugs online.

Sir Liam Donaldson said there was no need for people to resort to the Internet to self-medicate amid fears over the continuing spread of the virus.

He explained that the country had a substantial stockpile of the anti-flu treatment Tamiflu and would be one of the first countries to have access to a vaccine, with the first supplies arriving at the end of next month.

Tonight, Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) confirmed the number of cases of swine flu in the county stood at 52.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) will not give a daily update of the numbers of cases confirmed, and will instead give weekly updates.

The last figure released by the HPA on July 2 gave the total number of cases for the UK as 7,447.