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Two schoolchildren have swine flu | Two schoolchildren have swine flu |
(20 minutes later) | |
Two London children, aged 11 and 14, have contracted swine flu through means other than visiting Mexico, the Department of Health has confirmed. | |
The 11-year-old, from Barnet, north London, recently returned from the US. | |
The 14-year-old girl, from Wandsworth, south London, had been in contact with a visitor who had returned from Mexico. | |
Both children are receiving anti-viral drugs at home and are responding well to the treatment, NHS London said. London now has five cases of swine flu. | |
The new cases take the total number of confirmed cases in England to 13, among 18 across the whole of the UK. | |
The 14-year-old is a year nine student at South Hampstead High School, an independent school, which has been closed for seven days as a precautionary measure. | |
Events cancelled | |
A statement from the Department of Health said: "Two new cases have been confirmed in England today; both new cases are of school age from London. | |
"One had recently returned from the US and the second case is linked to a close contact who had recently returned to London from Mexico. | "One had recently returned from the US and the second case is linked to a close contact who had recently returned to London from Mexico. |
"On the patient who returned from the US, no school closure has been deemed necessary as the patient did not attend school while symptomatic." | |
Those people who have come in close contact with the 14-year-old girl have also received anti-viral drugs as a precautionary measure, officials said. | |
A letter posted on the website of South Hampstead High School read: "A pupil in Year 9 has just been confirmed as having Influenza A type H1N1 this weekend; the pupil is at home and well. | |
"The Health Protection Agency has advised that the school should close with immediate effect and reopen on Thursday 7 May in the first instance. | |
"This is to reduce the impact of any potential spread of the infection." | |
Anti-viral drugs have been offered to year nine pupils, the letter added. | |
The statement said all large school events have been cancelled and that special arrangements were being made to accommodate GCSE and A-level exams. |