The news that a 12-year-old girl had caught swine flu was delayed so that Gordon Brown could announce it in the Commons, it has been revealed.
Councillors from the Devon town of Torbay school learnt that the girl had fallen ill after a trip to Mexico at 8.30am.
Dozens of people in Devon have now complained of flu-like symptoms after the girl was diagnosed with the virus.
But parents are angry that the first they heard about the outbreak was on the news at lunchtime after the Prime Minister announced it in the Commons.
The Mayor of Torbay today defended the decision to withhold the information.
Mayor of Torbay Nick Bye (centre) today said he did not want the town to be like the resort in the film 'Jaws'
Mr Bye, who is a Tory elected mayor, said he agreed with the decision to coordinate the announcement.
He said: "There needed to be a national announcement. It was absolutely right to get the message out and it was a question of who went first.
'I would not criticise Mr Brown and I believe this has been handled in a copybook manner.
Dr Sarah Harrison, consultant in public health for Torbay, said the decision about the timing of the announcement came 'from above' but could say if the delay was ordered by Downing Street.
She said nobody was put at risk by the timing of the announcement.
'An announcement at 12.00 noon still gave us time to contact parents,' she said.
'The positive result was confirmed in the early hours and first thing in the morning a telephone conference was held with the head teachers and the Health Protection Agency.
'A very rapid decision was taken on the measures which needed to be taken and it was agreed Tamiflu would be distributed to Year Seven children.
'A letter was written to parents about what to do if their children suffer symptoms and the school was closed to slow down any transmission which may already have occurred.
'We are monitoring the health of the Year Seven students and talking to GPs about how to deal with children who have flu like symptoms.'
The Mayor urged holidaymakers to avoid a Jaws-style panic in the seaside resort.
Nick Bye said there was no reason for people to boycott the South Devon coast during the Bank Holiday break, after a school in the area had to be shut when the 12-year-old tested positive for the virus this week.
Fears: Debbie Hutton-Hands and her daughter, Amy, 13, who already has a cough
He referred to 1975 film Jaws, in which the mayor of a US seaside town refuses to shut the beach before a major holiday, even though there is a man-eating shark attacking swimmers. After the shark strikes again, terrified tourists abandon the resort.
Mr Bye told a press conference: 'I don't want be that Mayor in Jaws, so I got reassurance before I announced it was safe to come here.
We have a 12-year-old girl feeling rotten with flu, but we are open for business as a holiday destination.
'Life goes on as normal. We have a bank holiday weekend coming up and all the signs are good.
'There is no reason for people not to come. It is not as if we are Mexico.'
Doctors refused to give an exact figure for the cases now being investigated in the region after the schoolgirl from Torbay tested positive for the virus.
But they said the potential victims are 'of all ages' and that hundreds of doses of anti-viral drugs had been handed out to pupils and staff at the affected school.
The schoolgirl's friends could be among those at risk because she was at school and spending time with them for three days before falling ill.
This bank holiday weekend should be the busiest few days of the year so far for the tourist trade in Torbay, which describes itself as the jewel in the crown of the English Riviera.
Mr Bye said attractions in Torbay this weekend included a four day pirate festival for families in Brixham and a charity biker festival in Paignton.
The infected girl was said to be groggy but getting better at her family home in Paignton where she is being treated by her parents and visiting doctors.
Health officials said about a dozen other people in Devon have complained of flu like symptoms, but none of these were from Paignton Community and Sports College where the girl attended.
The school was shut on Wednesday after the outbreak and 340 pupils and staff issued with the anti-viral medicine tamiflu.
Dr Harrison said she was being looked after at home and although she was not well, her condition was improving.
Principal Jane England said today that they had contacted everyone who had spent time with the girl since her return.
'She did go to some social functions but we believe we have contacted anyone who has been in close contact,' she said.
'We do not take closure of the school lightly. Well-being of staff and pupils is paramount.
'I am absolutely confident that all the young person's close contacts have been traced and offered the medication if they were deemed to be at risk.'
A 41-year-old woman from Redditch and a 22-year-old man from South London have also been confirmed to have the virus after visiting Mexico, taking the total of British victims to five.
Lisa Walton, 36, who has two sons at the school, said: 'We just had no idea about what was happening here.
'The school had not told us about it, and my son said the pupils were told around 1pm today.'
Charlotte Cleverdon, 11, was in her class when a teacher came in to tell pupils what was happening.
'Everyone started crying and holding their noses,' she said. 'I know the girl well. She's nice and I'm worried about her.'
Debbie Hutton-Hands, who has two children at the school, said: 'At first we thought it was a prank. Now we just hope everyone is OK. My daughter already has a cough and cold. The whole thing is a nightmare.'
Sheena Gill said: 'It is frightening. Devastating and very scary. My daughter is very upset and we are off to the doctors to get her checked out.'
Her daughter Jordanne-13, said: 'We were told one student has swine flu. I don't want to get it. Lots of children were crying.'
Last night the girl's parents stressed they had not sent their daughter back to school once she developed flu symptons.
A message left on the local Herald Express newspaper website - signed 'Parent of girl concerned' - said: 'She started back at school last Wednesday. She first showed symptoms on Friday evening.
No comments:
Post a Comment