Swine flu case confirmed at Harpenden school

A CASE of swine flu has been confirmed at a secondary school in the district but it has no plans to close for the time being. Parents of children at St George s School in Harpenden have been kept updated on the situation after several suspected cases came

A CASE of swine flu has been confirmed at a secondary school in the district but it has no plans to close for the time being.

Parents of children at St George's School in Harpenden have been kept updated on the situation after several suspected cases came to light.

But only one case proved positive - a girl boarder who is recovering well at her home - and three were found to be negative. The school is still waiting for one more result.

The confirmed case is a girl in Year 10 who became ill last Thursday and was immediately separated from other children at the Sun Lane school

Following advice from the Health Protection Agency (HPA), St George's has remained open.

Head teacher Norman Hoare said the school had an emergency plan in place for both day students and boarders.

Gel dispensers for hand washing were in place as part of a raft of hygiene measures and students were being encouraged not to congregate together where possible.

Staff had been asked as far as possible to clean work surfaces during the course of the day and additional hours had been booked from the school's cleaning company to ensure such items as door handles and toilets were cleaned throughout the day.

Students showing any symptoms were being interviewed about where they had been and who they had mixed with, he added.

St George's was closed for an Inset Day on Monday which had led to rumours in Harpenden that it had closed because of incidences of swine flu. But Mr Hoare stressed: "We have only one case confirmed and she is much better but she can't come back for a week. We have only had a handful of suspected cases and parents are being kept informed.