Though reassuring reports have been coming in from health agencies about the dangers posed by swine flu, the government today launched a campaign nationwide to deliver leaflets informing the public about how to protect against the virus.
Leaflets are to be delivered highlighting the importance of good hygiene in preventing the further spread of the infection. The leaflets will go to all UK households. The campaign comes as 27 cases of swine flu were confirmed in the UK, including cases at two prestigious London schools, Alleyn’s in Dulwich and South Hampstead High School in Hampstead. Both schools have closed, with three other schools also shutting temporarily, another in London, one in Devon and one in Gloucestershire. Pupils as well as staff have been offered the anti-viral medication Tamiflu as a preventative measure.
So far all the patients with the illness have only reported fairly mild symptoms and all are said to have made, or to be making, a good recovery. The mother of one victim at Alleyne’s, Felicity de Salis, said that despite a high temperature, the virus left her daughter merely “under the weather”. She also praised how the school and authorities handled the situation.
However chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson said that is was very possible that there would be a second, larger wave of infection during the traditional flu season of autumn and winter. The World Health Organisation has said that they will still be on high alert. A spokesman said that as Spanish flu of 1918 surged in spring but then returned strongly in autumn, they were remaining on their guard.
Good news came from Mexico where shops, schools and businesses are preparing to reopen on Wednesday. Senior health officials in both Mexico and the U.S have said that they believe the rate of infection has peaked.