HUNDREDS of schools across Staffordshire have been given advice on how to reduce the chances of pupils and staff catching swine flu.

Staffordshire County Council has written to all its 400-plus schools to pass on tips for infection control.

It comes as nine more people in the UK, including one in the West Midlands, were yesterday confirmed as having swine flu, taking the total in Britain to 27.

So far, more than a dozen people in Staffordshire and Shropshire have been tested although there have been no confirmed cases locally.

Some schools in other parts of England have been forced to close temporarily after being caught up in the outbreak.

The county council's advice comes just as the exams regulator Ofqual revealed contingency plans for students sitting exams, if they face disruption due to swine flu. It could see pupils sitting their GCSE exams in isolation.