British Holidaymakers In Swine Flu Warning

The Department of Health, which is currently setting up a new pandemic flu service, advised people with the virus to delay journeys until symptoms had gone.

Officials warned that visitors to a number of countries would have to face strict screening procedures as the illness spreads.

This was demonstrated in China, where 52 British schoolchildren and teachers were placed in quarantine in a Beijing hotel after four teenagers from London were diagnosed with swine flu.

According to the DoH, holidaymakers should take medication such as paracetamol with them and avoid public places if they fall ill.

People travelling to Europe should carry a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC).

If they catch swine flu - symptoms of which are a high temperature as well as two or more of a list including headache, sore throat, runny nose and aching muscles - they should not travel home until recovered.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham, who is due to give a statement to the Commons on Monday, said: "I want families to go on their holidays and have a great time this summer.

"And mums and dads shouldn't worry unnecessarily about swine flu.

"But, just as they would anyway, parents should keep a close eye on their children's health.

"If you're going abroad, as ever, make sure you know where you can get medical advice and if you're holidaying in the UK, remember that from the end of this week alongside GP services, you'll also able to phone the national pandemic flu service hotline for advice."

The advice came as a senior adviser to the Government moved to calm concerns over the swine flu vaccine after questions were raised about whether it will have been sufficiently tested before it is used.

The first deliveries of the vaccine are expected to arrive next month, sparking concerns that doses will be administered before full clinical trials are completed.

But Professor Sir Gordon Duff, co-chairman of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, said the "benefits far outweigh the risks".

He added: "These core vaccines have been tested on 5,000-6,000 people already, with no serious adverse effects."

Thousands of people in Britain have been affected by swine flu and the total number of UK deaths linked to the virus stands at 29.

Three of the year nine (aged 13-14) children taken ill in China were from the Central Foundation Boys School in Clerkenwell, while one attended Parliament Hill School in Camden.

The quarantined group was among a party of around 600 British students and teachers from across the UK who had travelled to China.

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Swine flu cases in the United States

Swine flu cases in the United States rose above 60 on Tuesday as governments around the world intensified steps to battle the outbreak that has killed scores of people in Mexico. President Barack Obama asked Congress for $1.5 billion to fight the fast-spreading disease.

Federal officials suggested the flu may be spreading so fast, there may be no practical way to contain it, and no need to tighten borders further.

So far, there have been no deaths from the fast-spreading virus in the United States.

Still, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta said Tuesday that the number of confirmed swine flu cases in the U.S. has jumped to 64 and states said there are at least four more. A CDC official told a Senate panel that includes five hospitalizations, up from one hospitalization the day before.

"Based on the pattern of illness we're seeing, we don't think this virus can be contained... But we do think we can reduce the impact of its spread, and reduce its impact on health," Rear. Adm. Anne Schuchat, the CDC interim science and public health deputy director, told a Senate Appropriations health subcommittee.

"There's a lot of anxiety right now across the country," said subcommittee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.

"It's important for people to know there's a lot that we can do," Schuchat told Harkin. "The investments that have been made in preparedness are making a difference."

Still, she warned, not only might the disease get worse, "it might get much worse."

"We don't have all the answers today," she added.

Obama sent a letter to lawmakers asking them for an emergency spending plan to build drug stockpiles and monitor future cases. He said the money will also help international efforts to battle the flu.

Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs, who read the letter to reporters, said the flu outbreak requires "prudent planning" and not panic.

Before Obama called for a supplement spending bill, Harkin said he would push to add an additional $870 million to an upcoming spending bill to fight the flu cases rapidly spreading around the country. On the House side, Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey said he'll put additional flu-fighting funds into a bill covering the costs of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he didn't specify how much.

Money to stop the spread of such a flu was stripped from a wide-ranging stimulus bill earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano predicted that the new strain of flu, for which there is currently no preventive vaccine, will spread to additional states in the days ahead.

So far, the cases are still in the five states where they previously were reported, with the vast majority, 45 of them in New York City, 10 in California, six in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio.

Federal authorities have begun moving stockpiles of antiviral drugs into the affected areas.

U.S. scientists hope to have a key ingredient for a swine flu vaccine ready in early May, but are finding that the novel virus grows slowly in eggs -- the chief way flu vaccines are made. Even if all goes well, it still will take a few months before any shots are available for the first required safety testing, in volunteers.

"We're working together at 100 miles an hour to get material that will be useful," Dr. Jesse Goodman, who oversees the Food and Drug Administration's swine flu work, told The Associated Press.

Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said a vaccine is being developed "very rapidly" and could be ready in time for the next flu season.

No flu-related deaths have been reported in the U.S., while neighboring Mexico has experienced more than 150 deaths considered likely to be caused by the flu.

Meanwhile, the State Department has set up a unit to monitor developments related to overseas outbreaks to "try to sort out fact from fiction and support the interagency process that's being led by the Department of Homeland Security," spokesman Robert Wood said Tuesday.

The department, which on Monday joined the Centers for Disease Control in warning Americans against nonessential travel to Mexico, has closed its embassy in Mexico City and all nine consulates in the country to the public until May 6 in accordance with Mexican regulations aimed at stopping the spread of the flu, he said.

Napolitano, interviewed on NBC, said officials "anticipate confirmed cases in more states." She reiterated President Barack Obama's statement on Monday as he grappled with the first domestic emergency of his presidency -- that the spread of the disease is a cause for concern but not alarm.

She offered no estimate of how widely the flu might spread, nor how many cases might eventually occur.

In addition to the cases identified by the CVC, health officials in Michigan said they have one suspected case, and five are suspected in New Jersey.

Asked about stricter measures, Napolitano said, "That's something that always can be considered,

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WHO warns swine flu 'unstoppable'

According to the World Health Organization the new H1N1 virus is ‘unstoppable’. It gave drug makers a full go-ahead to manufacture vaccines against the pandemic influenza strain.

Every country needs to vaccinate citizens against the swine flu virus and must choose who else would get priority after nurses, doctors and technicians. The new virus attacks people differently than seasonal flu - affecting more of younger people, pregnant women, the severely obese and seemingly healthy adults, and causing disease deep in the lungs.

WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) recognised that the H1N1 pandemic is unstoppable and therefore all countries need access to the vaccine.

The SAGE recognised that healthcare workers should be immunised first in all countries in order to retain a functional health system as the virus evolves. After that, each country should decide who is next in line, based on the virus's unusual behaviour.

Seasonal influenza is deadly enough - each year it is involved in 2,50,000 to 5,00,000 deaths globally. This includes mostly the elderly or those with some kind of chronic disease that makes them more vulnerable to flu, such as asthma. Also pregnant women and persons with morbid obesity are at risk for severe disease and death from infection.

WHO would be working to get better virus strains for companies from which to make vaccines. The strains that had been distributed did not grow very well in chicken eggs - used to make all flu vaccines.

The WHO also suggested that countries should continue with their normal vaccination programmes against the seasonal flu.

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1,000 schools have already recorded cases of swine flu

Bristol health experts have said they are sufficiently prepared to deal with an increase in swine flu cases.

South Gloucestershire has increased the number of swine flu centres, where stocks of antivirals will be handed, out to 28.

In North Somerset stocks of Tamiflu are limited but health managers are confident that there are enough of the drugs to last until another delivery is due to arrive early next week.

People suffering flu-like symptoms are being asked by health experts not to pick up their own tablets, but to nominate a "flu friend" who can go to the swine flu centres on their behalf to minimise the spread of the virus to key health workers such as GPs and pharmacists.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) estimates there were 55,000 new cases of swine flu in England in the last week, including people visiting GPs and those who are looking after themselves at home.

The number of people who have died after contracting the virus had risen to 29 yesterday, and 652 people have been admitted to hospital since the start of the outbreak.

Seasonal flu, which usually lasts for eight to 10 weeks in winter months, kills about 8,000 people a year nationally.

In 1989/90 an influenza epidemic in Great Britain caused an estimated 26,000 deaths, mainly in the elderly.

About 1,000 schools have already recorded cases of swine flu, although most have managed to stay open.

Letters have been sent to the parents at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Portishead, to notify them that a member of staff has been diagnosed with swine flu, but the school told the Bristol Evening Post the affected staff member was not a teacher.

In South Gloucestershire there have been reports of cases in pupils at Mangotsfield Primary School, Stanbridge Primary School in Downend, Tynings Primary School in Soundwell, Elm Park Primary School in Winterbourne and Samuel White's Infant School in Hanham.

But South Gloucestershire School would not confirm any cases or suspected cases when asked to do so by the Evening Post.

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Swine flu spreads in Gainesville

UF has seen several more confirmed cases of the virus since the first infected student in April, said Phillip Barkley, director of the Student Health Care Center. Barkley said he didn’t know how many more cases were confirmed.

Though only a few more have been verified, there have likely been many more students infected, he said.

The majority of flu cases are the H1N1 strain, known as swine flu, and the SHCC saw about 35 people with some kind of flu or flu-like symptoms last week, he said.

The center does not have the capability to test for the new strain of the flu.

Paul Myers, assistant director of the Alachua County Health Department, said 90 percent or more of all flu cases now are of the H1N1 variety.

Alachua County had 42 confirmed cases as of Wednesday, Myers said.

The state had a total of 2,188 confirmed or probable cases–400 of which were reported in the last week–and 12 deaths. Two of the deaths were reported on Wednesday and two of those who died were pregnant.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported more than 37,000 cases and more than 200 deaths in the United States.

The actual number of those affected is probably much higher because most cases go unreported, Myers said.

The average age of those with swine flu is just under 21 years old, he said, with most cases occurring in the 5- to 24-year-old age range. Typically, the flu afflicts those older than 65 and younger than 5, he said.

“That’s odd, but that’s what a novel strain will do,” he said.

One theory is that those older than 50 may be more resistant to the new strain because a similar strain struck in 1957, which may have bolstered their immunity.

Another odd thing about this flu is that it’s striking in the middle of the summer, Myers said, since the flu season usually runs from late fall to early spring.

As a result, Barkley said the SHCC is having to deal with a second flu season this year. On the bright side, it’s milder than usual, he said.

However, since the possibility exists that the center will have to deal with more flu cases in the fall when many students return–and that a swine flu vaccine will be mandated or recommended for college students–the center is preparing itself for a particularly busy semester.

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anti-virals to tackle swine flu

HEALTH officials have confirmed there are enough anti-virals available for people diagnosed with swine flu in South Cumbria.

NHS Cumbria has assured members of the public that supplies of Tamiflu are plentiful.

But the anti-viral is not available over the counter and is only being prescribed to high-risk patients, or those who are clinically diagnosed with swine flu.

It does not act as a cure for the virus, but can help to reduce the severity of symptoms in some people.

Supplies of Tamiflu are only available from one collection point in Barrow, the location of which is not being released. More points are expected to be added as the number of cases increase.

A spokeswoman for NHS Cumbria said: “NHS Cumbria has set up anti-viral collection points in Barrow, Kendal, Whitehaven and Carlisle.

“Anti-virals will only be available from these centres after a patient has been clinically diagnosed with swine flu and given a voucher for their flu friend to pick up the medication.

“As and when the number of suspected cases of swine flu increase, more collection points will be opened.

“The UK has one of the largest stockpiles of antivirals in the world and here in Cumbria, we have ample supplies for our needs.

“Anti-virals can help to reduce the length of illness by around one day.

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Academy and likely at other schools in fall

The United States Air Force Academy reached 103 confirmed cases of swine flu last week.

As of Friday, there were 37 cadets in isolation, which was down from the previous weekend when 121 cadets were isolated, said John Van Winkle, spokesman for the Academy. At that time, there had also been 124 cadets returned to duty from isolation.

Last week there were less cadets with flu-like symptoms than the week before, he said.

When the Academy started noticing more cases than is usual, they followed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidance by putting the cadets in isolation to limit the spread of the illness as well as helping them regain their health and get back to training, Van Winkle said.

The Academy also educated others on base about how to limit the spread of the illness and what the symptoms are for adults and children, he said

The El Paso County Department of Health and Environment has been in contact with the Academy, said Public Health Director Kandi Buckland.

Those found with swine flu at the Air Force Academy are not the only ones in the county to have contracted the illness. Buckland said the department has primarily seen groups of people who have gathered for classes or travel with the virus.

“We need to be prepared for a widespread flu this fall,” she said. School starts in a few weeks, which will increase the chances for the illness to spread.

The health department will be meeting with primary and secondary school leadership, childcare centers, universities and colleges about the potential for the virus’ spread, she said.

“It is important to take this seriously and prepare,” she said. Individuals are strongly encouraged to come up with a plan in case they or their family members contract swine flu including measures such as staying home from work or school.

Businesses are advised to consider what they will do if their workforce is out of the office due to illness, Buckland said.

The outbreak is being managed both in the area and around the country by identifying those who are sick, arranging testing if appropriate and providing information about antiviral medicines to those who are ill, she said.

The virus spreads through droplets that leave the body when one coughs or sneezes, Buckland said. Others can contract swine flu when they rub their eyes, scratch their noses or ingest the droplets.

“It is possible to be contagious prior to having symptoms,” she said.

Symptoms include a fever of 100 degrees or more, body aches and sometimes nausea and vomiting, Buckland said. Pregnant women, children and those who have a chronic condition are more at risk for complications with the flu.

The illness is seen a bit more frequently in those who are between the ages of 5 and 24, she said. Not everyone who believes they could have the virus needs to be tested.

If one suspects he or she might have the swine flu, Buckland asks the individual self-isolate for seven days or until all symptoms have been resolved. She added those who are experiencing flu symptoms and are concerned about their illness and those who have an underlying medical condition should see a healthcare provider.

To prevent contracting the illness, she recommends individuals wash their hands frequently with hot, soapy water when out in public and to not scratch their noses, eyes or mouths, Buckland said.

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SWINE FLU: Drug collection points set up

HEALTH chiefs said last night they had opened two emergency points in Oxfordshire to dish out swine flu drugs.

Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust yesterday opened its first anti-viral collection point (ACP) at Oxford Town Hall.

A second one will open at Woodgreen Leisure Centre, in Banbury, on Monday.

The centres are aimed at easing the pressure on local health services by helping with the distribution of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu and will be open daily between 10.30am and 4.30pm until further notice.

People diagnosed with swine flu are also being advised to ask a ‘flu friend’ – a relative, friend or neighbour – to collect medication on their behalf to prevent the spread of the disease.

So far, 26 people in England have died after contracting the disease.

Trust director of service redesign Alan Webb said Tamiflu was not a cure but helped ease symptoms and reduced the spread of the disease.

However, he stressed how it was important for people to understand no-one with swine flu or flu like symptoms should go directly to an ACP, to their GP or to any hospital.

He said: “It is important people do not just turn up at ACPs as they will not be able to receive medication without the proper referrals and risk further spreading the infection.

“People should also establish a network of relatives, neighbours or friends to collect anti-viral medication, food and supplies if you get swine flu, so that you do not have to leave home.

“As anticipated the need for anti-viral treatment has increased. Our services and staff are coping very well with the greater pressures that they are now inevitably experiencing.”

It is not known how many people in the county have swine flu. More ACPs will be opened as necessary depending on the number of residents diagnosed with it.

The Health Protection Agency has ordered GPs to diagnose cases on the basis of clinical observation rather than laboratory testing.

Everyone who has flu-like symptoms is assessed by a doctor and if diagnosed with swine flu offered an anti-viral medicine.

Up to 35 per cent of Oxfordshire’s population of 635,000 could contract the illness.

Dr Shakiba Habibula, the trust’s assistant director of public health, said: “We are prepared for 40,000 cases a week at the peak time. There is no need to worry.

“We have good stocks of Tamiflu and the first stocks of vaccinations are expected to become available in August.

“We are prepared to respond to every eventuality.”

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Five students in a Maryland Institute

Five students in a Maryland Institute College of Art summer program have been diagnosed with probable H1NI influenza infections, commonly known as swine flu, a college spokeswoman said Friday.

Three of the students enrolled in MICA's pre-college program who were showing symptoms have gone home, said Kathleen Murray, the spokeswoman. One student has been isolated, as recommended by the Baltimore City Health Department, and another is asymptomatic, beyond the seven-day period of infection, Murray said.

The Health Department notified MICA of the probable infections Thursday afternoon, and an e-mail was sent to parents, faculty, staff and students that night, Murray said. As of Friday morning, no new cases had been reported, and the five students were recovering, Murray said.

Pre-college program attendees, typically high school students, stay together in a MICA residence hall, but Health Department officials said there was no need to close any buildings or shut down the program, Murray said.

"The only recommendation was to isolate the five students," she said.

MICA's building services staff was instructed to sanitize surfaces such as elevator buttons more frequently. Sanitizer was also available at guard desks, college offices and in dining facilities.

Maryland health officials have confirmed 732 cases of swine flu. Three of those infected have died from the virus.

Summer camps are feeling the impact. Two children were sent home from a Harford County camp after testing positive for swine flu, health officials said this week. Sandy Hill Camp in Cecil County sent campers home midway through a two-week session last week after 19 children came down with flulike symptoms in 48 hours.

The Muscular Dystrophy Association canceled more than half of its weeklong camp sessions - including two scheduled for Camp Maria in Leonardtown - amid fears that children with already compromised immune systems could become critically ill if they came down with flu, something that is more likely in a setting of shared cabins and meals in close quarters.

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swine flu died shortly

A woman who had contracted swine flu died shortly after giving birth prematurely, it was reported.

The woman, who died in Whipps Cross Hospital, was named by her brother as Ruptara Miah. She is thought to be from Bangladesh.

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Swine flu Rajendra

The reports of the throat swab samples received from National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD), New Delhi are positive," State Nodal Officer for Swine flu Rajendra Tamba said.

The 20-year-old boy had arrived in the state on July 14. "He came to India on July 12 from USA. He was tested negative for swine flu in America," Tamba said.

The boy developed swine flu like symptoms on July 16 and was referred to a private practitioner in South Goa.

"He was quarantined at Chicalim and then admitted in Goa Medical College," Tamba said.

The test reports of throat swabs samples of three more patients sent to New Delhi are awaited, he said.

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Swine flu fear at local school

Parents of children at a Shropshire secondary school have spoken of their concern after being told a pupil had been diagnosed as having suspected swine flu.

The pupil attends Rhyn Park School in St Martins, near Oswestry, and a letter was sent to parents on Wednesday by headteacher Richard Hedge.

He said the pupil would not be in school for the rest of term and medical advice was all children without symptoms should attend school as normal.

The school was open as normal on Thursday and yesterday. It has now closed for the summer holidays.

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The Big Island woman, Swine flu

The Big Island woman, who was in her early 50s, died July 7 at Kona Community Hospital.

"Although flu was the primary cause of death for this individual, she had serious underlying medical conditions that exacerbated her condition and contributed to her decline and death," said Dr. Sarah Park, chief of the Disease Outbreak Control Division and state epidemiologist, in a news release. "We all need to take care of ourselves ... to fight off infection."

There have more than 1,000 reported cases of swine flu in the Islands since May.

Nationwide, there have been more than 40,000.

The first swine flu death in the Islands — a woman in her 60s — was on June 19. The O'ahu woman died at Tripler Army Medical Center and officials said she had other serious health problems. The second swine flu death was July 10 at The Queen's Medical Center. The O'ahu resident was in his late 40s and also had underlying medical conditions.

The news of a third swine flu death comes as the Health Department is making a major shift in how it reports swine flu activity in the Islands.

DOH officials said yesterday they would no longer be tallying up the total number of swine flu cases or investigating each case, but instead would concentrate their efforts on investigating clusters of cases, severe cases and swine flu cases in health care workers or among those who have traveled recently.

Other states are also deciding to stop their counts, which officials say represent just a small fraction of the total number of people who have gotten swine flu, or the H1N1 virus.

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SYDNEY childcare centres Swine flu

SYDNEY childcare centres are feeling the brunt of the swine flu pandemic, with youngsters at high risk of infecting their peers.

Health Department figures released last week revealed that 94 children aged under five were in hospital with the disease in NSW.

A further 225 children underfive have been confirmed as swine flu sufferers.

NSW Health Director of Communicable Diseases Dr Jeremy McAnulty said it was imperative that parents kept their sick children away from child care.

"Childcare centres are places where small children congregate and, because small children are not aware of the importance of good hygiene, there is an increased risk of contracting diseases,'' he said.

"Parents and childcare centres need to work together to reduce the spread of infectious diseases.

"Childcare centres already have stringent infection-control procedures in place, but it is important that parents co-operate by not sending their child if they are sick.''

Care For Kindies childcare centre at Belfield, in Sydney's inner west, had a confirmed case of swine flu involving a four-year-old girl.

A spokeswoman said the girl had not attended the centre for six days before being diagnosed, but all precautions were still taken to minimise the risk of the flu spreading.

She said 120 parents were contacted by phone and were told that if their child presented flu-like symptoms they were to stay home.

But Child Care NSW president Lyn Connolly said parents should not panic and pull their children out of day care.

"Honestly, I think childcare centres are probably the safest places to be in the country at the moment,'' she said.

"All equipment and toys are washed and disinfected after every use, every single day.

"When children come to the centres in the morning, their hands are washed immediately, so that the home germs remain home germs and the same procedure happens before the children go home.''

Ms Connolly said children in all 11,000 childcare centres monitored by Child Care NSW were ``carefully trained in matters of hygiene''.

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Beijing after four came down with swine flu

One of the four, Lucy van Amerongen called her sister to say that the episode had been 'quite intimidating'.

Her sister Amii said: 'Lucy called me this morning telling me that she is confined in a hotel and she is being very brave about the whole thing. '

'She said it was quite intimidating - they have these ‘guns’ that they point at your head which measure your temperature.'

Her father TV producer Victor van Amerongen, 54, who lives near Stroud, Glos., revealed that daughter Lucy, 15, could be quarantined for up to a week.

He said: ''She's with a party of girls from Cheltenham Ladies College but they met up with a lot of other schools from around the world in China.

'Fortunately her immediate party hasn't been affected by swine flu but they have been quarantined in the hotel by the authorities as a precaution.

''It's a four-star hotel with a swimming pool and Lucy and her friends are in great spirits. They are not worried unduly because they have all been tested.

''As far as I'm aware she hasn't been given Tamiflu but there is some sort of ceremony or party in the hotel tonight so they are looking forward to that.

''I spoke to her today and she thinks they will be in quarantine for a week but the situation is developing day by day so that could change.''

And four pupils from Clevedon school in Somerset have sent an email from their hotel room to say that they are being well looked after.

'We are quarantined in the hotel and are all currently well as we have daily temperature checks which are all good,' they said.

'The hotel is really nice and we have proper toilets. We hope we experience more of China as we should be out within four days.'

The students were part of a 1,000-strong group of visitors to China from across the world learning about the country's language and culture.

The trip was organised by the Confucius Institute, an official Chinese body which promotes Chinese language and culture overseas.

The members of the party with swine flu symptoms were teenage pupils from two London schools, according to the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust.

Three attend Central Foundation Boys School in Cowper Street, Hoxton, east London, and one goes to Parliament Hill School in Camden, north London.

The institute's director, Katharine Carruthers, told the BBC: 'They are being extremely well looked after and cared for, to the extent where they're getting pizza delivered to where they are. They are all happy and getting better.

'There are a number of children in quarantine in very comfortable conditions in a four-star hotel in Beijing, who have been in close contact with the swine flu cases.

'Everyone is in good spirits, getting involved in activities and carrying on their Chinese learning.'

Their parents have been told that the quarantine should last a week.

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: 'A group of 52 children and teachers are being quarantined in their hotel, including four who have been hospitalised.

'The British Embassy in Beijing and the FCO are trying to establish contact with the organisers of the school groups visiting Beijing and their schools in the UK to ensure that full information is available to all those involved.'

More than 500 Britons were understood to be on the trip organised by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the British Council and Chinese organisation Hanban.

A spokesman for the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust said it arranged for 278 children and 49 teachers from all over the UK to travel to China.

The group flew out on July 13-14 and was due to return to the UK on July 27-28.
The students were aged 14 and upwards, he added.

He said: 'It's a terrible shame for those students.

'What we are doing is making sure that the students who are able to, even if they are quarantined, are able to take part in their own cultural activities - for example by doing artwork - as much as possible.

'We are working with Hanban and the health authorities to make sure procedures are being followed.

'The students have also got direct lines into their rooms so they can contact their families.

'Every effort is being made to make sure they do not feel completely isolated but it's obviously very daunting for those students.'

The spokesman said he understood that those who were quarantined were people who had been in close contact with the four in hospital.

The FCO website states that medical screening for the swine flu virus has been introduced at several airports for passengers arriving on international flights, including in China.

'Containment measures may be introduced or changed with little or no notice,' it said.

'You may be required to undergo further tests if you show flu-like symptoms.

'Some countries have put quarantine measures in place for people travelling from affected countries, or in one case at a hotel where an infected person had been staying.

'British nationals who find themselves quarantined overseas should contact their nearest British Embassy/Consulate who will be able to offer consular assistance, though access may be limited due to the quarantine restrictions.'

In the section relating to travel advice for China, the FCO states there are confirmed cases of swine flu in the country.

It adds: 'The Chinese government continues to place great emphasis on screening and surveillance, rapid detection, quarantine and treatment.'

The process can be 'confusing and upsetting', with very little information provided in English, according to the FCO advice.

'You should be aware that if any passenger has flu-like symptoms this may lead to all passengers being quarantined for up to seven days, until health officials are satisfied all are free of the A(H1N1) virus,' it said.

'Any passenger having come into direct/indirect contact with anyone suspected of having the virus may also be quarantined.

'Levels of quarantine differ; all suspected victims are hospitalised, others are confined to hotel rooms, still others are asked to self-monitor and stay at home.'

Last month a British family was held in 'filthy' quarantine conditions after Chinese officials swooped on them over a suspected case of swine flu.

Following the 2003 SARS epidemic and then bird flu, Beijing has acted swiftly with strict measures whenever the country is threatened.

Since the arrival of H1N1 swine flu, quarantine officers have been boarding all international flights and taking passengers' temperatures.

Visitors are then scanned several times more before reaching immigration. Anyone recording a high temperature is immediately quarantined.

China has seen a total of 1,097 cases of swine flu, with one death

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Swine flu sweeping world

Swine flu has swept the globe at "unprecedented speed," the World Health Organisation said Friday, as a study warned the pandemic could tip the world into deflation and delay the economic recovery.

The WHO said it would stop giving figures on the numbers infected by the A(H1N1) virus to allow countries to channel resources into close monitoring of unexpected developments and patterns in the spread of the disease.

Argentina, meanwhile, issued a nationwide alert after pigs were confirmed to have the swine flu virus, health authorities said.

"We have detected clinical cases of the A(H1N1) influenza in a pig farm in Buenos Aires province, they have been confirmed by laboratory tests," the national farm and food standards agency said.

In Brazil, the number of deaths from swine flu nearly tripled to 11, including the first person shown to have caught the virus spontaneously within the country.

The increased tally given by Health Minister Jose Gomes late Thursday added seven to the four fatalities previously given.

The WHO said in an information note on its website the influenza pandemic had "spread internationally with unprecedented speed."

"In past pandemics, influenza viruses have needed more than six months to spread as widely as the new H1N1 virus has spread in less than six weeks."

The Geneva-based health agency said the counting of all individual cases was no longer essential to assess the risk from swine flu.

"WHO will continue to request that these countries report the first confirmed cases and, as far as feasible, provide weekly aggregated case numbers and descriptive epidemiology of the early cases," it added.

While it eased its overall reporting requirement, the WHO called on all countries to "closely monitor unusual events," such as possible clusters of severe or fatal infections, or unusual patterns that might be associated with worsening disease.

In Britain, a study by Oxford Economics -- a forecasting consultancy whose clients include multinational corporations and government -- said recovery could be delayed by a couple of years due to the swine flu pandemic.

"Although so far the social and economic impacts have been very small, if infection rates were to rise much further, significant costs could be expected," it said.

Comparing the outbreak to the 2003 SARS crisis, it said that outbreak had occurred at a time of strong economic growth. Both consumption and growth had returned as soon as the epidemic was considered under control.

"This time around, such a sharp rebound is unlikely," it said.

"There is a risk that swine flu tips the United Kingdom and the world economy into deflation. This is because the pandemic would hit at a time when businesses and banks are still reeling from the economic crisis."

On Thursday, England's chief medical officer Liam Donaldson said that in a worst case scenario, around one in three Britons could be infected and 65,000 could die.

The WHO policy shift was partly motivated by the "mildness of symptoms in the overwhelming majority of patients, who usually recover, even without medical treatment, within a week of the onset of symptoms."

In some countries, the investigation and laboratory testing of all cases had absorbed huge resources, leaving health systems with little capacity to monitor severe cases or exceptional events that might mark an increase in the virulence of swine flu.

In the last table released by the WHO on July 6, the health agency had recorded 94,512 laboratory-confirmed cases in 136 countries and territories since April, including 429 deaths.

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Swine flu eases hold on Victoria

Deputy chief health officer Rosemary Lester says hospitals are reporting fewer patients with swine flu, and services monitoring the virus have recorded a decline in the number of infections.

"What we're seeing here in Victoria through our surveillance through GPs is the level of influenza-like illness in the community is on quite a sharp downturn," she told The Sunday Age newspaper.

"We had our outbreak earlier so we are on that downward slope, while other states are still on the upward slope."

A network of around 80 GPs across the state record how many patients have flu-like symptoms as a proportion of all patients.

A representative sample is then tested for influenza.

The most recent figures show the infection rate has dropped from about 23 per 1000 patients at the end of June to 14 per 1000 last week, the newspaper reports.

Swine flu has contributed to the deaths of 14 people in Victoria, while 31 people have died from the disease across Australia.

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Argentina attacks swine flu infection in pigs

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Agricultural authorities in Argentina have declared an alert to prevent the spread of swine flu among pigs.

Farm sanitation chief Jorge Dillon says the flu's symptoms are fairly benign for infected pigs and the pig outbreak poses no health risk to humans.

Nevertheless, agriculture officials on Friday said they will try to keep people infected with swine flu away from hog farms, where pigs are being infected by humans. It is recommending procedures to prevent pig-to-pig infections too.

Argentina has confirmed at least 137 human deaths related to swine flu, the highest national tally after the U.S.

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British students and their teachers

BEIJING (AFP) – A group of 52 British students and their teachers have been quarantined by Chinese authorities after four students tested positive for swine flu, the British Council said on Saturday.

The four students who tested positive for the A(H1N1) virus have been hospitalised while the group they were on a course with have been quarantined in a hotel in Beijing, the British Council said in a statement.

The students were not part of a British Council trip, but the organisation had been made "aware" of the quarantine. No other details were given.

The British Embassy said they were trying to make contact with the organisers of the trip.

In a separate incident, a British student from another group was quarantined along with a teacher for two days after she showed a heightened temperature when she arrived in Beijing this week, the British Council added.

The student showed no flu symptoms and was later allowed to rejoin the group, the statement said. She was part of a group of 362 students and teachers from 41 schools on a British Council-organised language course.

The British Council is a publicly-funded organisation that promotes cultural and educational exchanges around the world.

China has launched aggressive measures to try and detect swine flu, including temperature checks on foreign flights coming into the country.

There have been around 1,500 positive cases in China since the beginning of May, the health ministry said on its website, but no deaths.

In the last table released by the World Health Organization on July 6, the health agency had recorded 94,512 laboratory-confirmed cases in 136 countries and territories since April, including 429 deaths.

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The NPHS influenza surveillance

The NPHS influenza surveillance scheme estimates there were 44.5 cases of a flu-like illness diagnosed by GPs out of every 100,000 people in Wales – the equivalent of 1,335 people in Wales contacting their GPs in the last seven days with flu like symptoms.

Not all of these people will have swine flu and not everyone with flu like symptoms will contact their GP.

It is expected that the proportion of influenza cases diagnosed that are due to swine flu will increase as the virus spreads in Wales.

The report also shows levels of influenza activity in each county of Wales. On 16 July, the rate of diagnosis of flu-like illness at a local level ranged from 16.3 per 100,000 people in Neath Port Talbot to 84.0 per 100,000 people in Newport.

There have been 71 laboratory confirmed cases in Wales, with two new cases - a 46-year-old man form Rhondda Cynon Taff and an 18-year-old youth from Pembrokeshire.

Thirteen people with swine flu have been hospitalised in Wales, 11 of whom have been discharged.

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