Swine flu shuts high school

Brian Hossack 1625 - 1625 • Published 11 Jun 2009 14:00

SENIOR pupils at Port Glasgow High have been ordered to stay at home after a boy was confirmed as having swine flu.

Council chiefs have issued 100 pupils in S5 and S6 with Tamiflu tablets and asked them to stay at home for seven days after a fifth-year pupil was yesterday found to have the virus.

The school will remain open with classes continuing as normal for pupils who have not come into contact with the infected teenager.

Inverclyde Council has insisted the secondary will remain open, saying it is following advice from the NHS.

A council spokesman said: 'A total of 100 pupils from S5 and S6 at Port Glasgow High School have been excluded after a confirmed case of swine flu in an S5 pupil.

'Port Glasgow High School remains open and pupils who have not been contacted by the health or education authorities are expected to attend as normal.

'Inverclyde Council has been working very closely with colleagues in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and are taking advice from the public health experts.

'The safety and security of school pupils is a top priority for Inverclyde Council and all appropriate steps have been taken.'

Some worried parents have called for a week-long closure to minimise any risk of the flu spreading.

One concerned mum of a first-year pupil said: 'I"m furious and I think this is taking a big risk with our children.

'I"m keeping my daughter off school for a week. I think they should be giving parents that option.'

The decision to exclude the pupils was taken as 47 new cases of the disease were confirmed across Scotland, taking the country"s total to 311.

The closure of Port Glasgow High comes a month after Ravenscraig Primary School, Ladybird Nursery and the Enterprise after-school club in Greenock were closed for one week as a precautionary measure.

There were six confirmed cases of swine flu in the Greenock area, including Inverclyde"s first case, rugby player Michael Frizzel, 19.

A 22-year-old woman, her three-year-old son who attended the nursery, a five-year-old Ravenscraig pupil, his 45-year-old mum, and a 16-year-old James Watt College student also tested positive for the virus.

Michael spent almost a week in an isolation unit at Gartnavel Hospital in Glasgow.

After being given the all clear, the Greenock Wanderers player told the Tele: 'It was more or less like the ordinary flu, with a cough and runny nose. But it does take a lot out of you.'

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon will issue an update on the latest

situation later today.

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This article appeared in Greenock Telegraph 11 Jun 09

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