Nursery school closed amid fears pupil, 3, has contracted swine flu

Published on Wednesday 13 May 2009 22:04

A NURSERY school was closed yesterday as health officials investigated a new probable case of swine flu in one of its children.

A total of four likely cases of the H1N1 virus are now under investigation in the Greenock area, where a 19-year-old was confirmed with the infection at the weekend.

Yesterday, the Ladybird nursery in Greenock closed its doors for a week after a three-year-old tested positive for influenza A.

More tests will now determine if it is the swine flu strain.

It follows the closure of Ravenscraig Primary in Greenock on Tuesday after a five-year-old boy was confirmed as a probable case. His mother, 45, is also being investigated for likely infection.

Children and staff in close contact with the probable cases are being offered Tamiflu antiviral drugs.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said that the fourth probable case was a 16-year-old girl in Greenock. But she does not appear to have any obvious links to any of the other cases or the teenager currently still in hospital with the infection.

A further 14 possible cases are being investigated – seven of which are related to travel to affected areas.

Five cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Scotland. Yesterday three new cases in England were confirmed, bringing the total in the UK to 71.

Ms Sturgeon said it could not yet be concluded that there was no link between the 16-year-old and other cases.

"Should it turn out – and I stress 'should it' as we are far from certain about this yet – that there is no connection between this case and the other cases, then that would give us some initial emerging possible evidence of community transmission," she said. "But we are not at that stage yet."

Parents of children at the affected nursery yesterday spoke of their concerns after hearing of the probable cases in Greenock.

The Ladybird nursery, which sits in the grounds of Earnhill Primary, was closed as parents of 80 of the 100 children who attend the unit came to receive advice from public health specialists and to collect Tamiflu.

The remaining 20 children were said to not have come into contact with the three-year-old and did not require treatment.

The nursery is close to Ravenscraig Primary, which was closed on Tuesday. It is understood that family members of the two children affected are connected.

Dr Linda de Caestecker, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde's director of public health, called the closure a "precautionary measure" to prevent cross-infection.

Jennifer Kay, 31, who has two children attending the nursery and another two at Ravenscraig Primary School, said: "I've been making myself sick with worry this morning. We really didn't know what was happening initially.

"I have a 21-month-old baby and he's got a bug, which means he's got a temperature and diarrhoea, and that makes this situation even harder for me.

"When I came in, I was taken into a room and it was explained to me why they were doing this and how they were going to do it. I'm happy about the way they've gone about it, because a lot of the people I've spoken to were really worried about it.

"I was being phoned by parents asking about the flu and couldn't tell them a thing, so I feel I can at least tell them something now."

Roberta Morrison, 28, whose three-year-old daughter Eavie attends the nursery, said: "They haven't told us which child has been diagnosed, but they all play together and share the same toys, so I suppose there is a risk of infection. I'm not incredibly worried, though they are young, so it could affect their immune systems. I'm surprised the council has kept Earnhill open, because the nursery and school are connected by corridors."

Ms Sturgeon thanked parents for being understanding about the need for the closures.

"I would like to stress that there remains no reason for people to be alarmed. We are still dealing with small numbers of cases and our focus remains on containment," she said.