Swine flu school parents seek help
WORRIED parents with children at the school closed by swine flu have been seeking treatment from their GPs.
Within an hour of St Paul's Primary in Longton being sealed off on Tuesday, four mothers took their youngsters to the closest surgery amid fears they had been struck down by the illness.
And a succession of calls from mums and dads were dealt with by the Belgrave Medical Centre throughout yesterday, but no further cases have emerged.
The 200-pupil school and nursery was shut for seven days after health officials confirmed a pupil had the disease.
Centre senior partner Dr Prasad Rao, pictured below, said: "The four children brought in here had only minor coughs and colds, or even just the odd sneeze, which is common in this hot weather.
"We reassured them that they were not suffering from swine flu and they left quite happily. The subsequent phone calls we have dealt with have also been seeking reassurance which we are pleased to give.
"The rule of thumb is if people are not feeling feverish symptoms and just have a cold, it is not likely to be swine flu."
He added that the University Hospital of North Staffordshire microbiology department had sent the surgery guidance on swabbing patients and prescribing drugs to ease symptoms and that had been shared with all the staff. Dr Rao has also revealed how he had been involved in a case of suspected swine flu well before it became a pandemic.
Two months ago, swabs were taken from a 22-year-old patient who had returned from Mexico with a fever.
He said: "We were in constant contact with the Health Protection Agency and it turned out to be normal flu. But it was all good preparation for what was to follow."
Following criticism by parents, health officials today defended their policy of treating only pupils in the same year as the seven-year-old girl who had been confirmed as suffering a mild form of swine flu.
Mother-of-four Claire Lightfoot, aged 32, of Goms Mill Road, who has two children at St Paul's, Kyle Lightfoot, aged 10, and Hannah Smith, aged nine, said: "I expected all the children to be treated, but they have told us only Year 2 will get treatment. I think they all should get the treatment."
A spokesman for North Staffordshire Primary Care Trust said: "This was a very mild case and only close contacts of the child needed to be treated.
"Anyone else experiencing symptoms should stay at home and call their GP or NHS Direct."
He added that although the West Midlands is the worst-hit region in the UK, fewer than 10 cases had been confirmed in Staffordshire.
St Paul's parent Becky Roberts, aged 43, of Ladysmith Street, has two children; Nathan, aged 13, at Edensor Technology College and Zoe, aged 11, at St Paul's.
She said: "There was a case of swine flu at Edensor recently and the kids still had to go into school. We are all scared about it. I'm very concerned for my son and daughter. "
Jane Johnson runs the School's Out After School Club, on Blurton Road, Blurton, which takes children from St Paul's and other schools. She said: "We are sending out a newsletter telling people to be cautious. We have one child who sits on the same table as the girl who is ill."
NHS Direct can be contacted on 0845 4647.
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CLOSED: St Paul's Primary.
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