Alleyns School on swine flu alert
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roz
Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
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04-05-2009 07:20 PM
Just heard that 5 pupils have been confirmed as having caught this flu from a recent trip to Mexico and this Dulwich school is now closed until 11th May. My friends children go there and they are all, including the parents, having the Tamiflu jab as a precautionary measure. Its highly possible that given that the school is fairly local, some website readers may also have primary or secondary contacts with this school/pupils/parents/staff so may need to consider whether they have been in contact with any infected persons and need to take action. Not wanting to create panic but I suspect people would rather know than not so that they can at least take any symptoms seriously.
http://www.alleyns.org.uk
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michael
Posts: 3,262
Joined: Mar 2005
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04-05-2009 07:41 PM
If anyone is worried they should phone the Swine-Flu Information Line on: 0800 1513513.
If a person has flu-like symptoms they should stay at home and contact NHS Direct on: 08 45 46 47 or phone their GP.
If you are travelling to East Dulwich you should check with the Foreign Office travel advice: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/travelling-and-...-overseas/ (not really, only Mexico travel is not advised).
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brian
Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
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04-05-2009 07:41 PM
Roz I appreciate you mean well but unless you have been in a closed room today with no media people would have heard over and over again.
Anyway ley is hope they have it under control.
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Gaz
Posts: 86
Joined: Jul 2008
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05-05-2009 12:42 AM
Roz I appreciate you mean well but unless you have been in a closed room today with no media people would have heard over and over again.
Anyway ley is hope they have it under control.
Erm, I've been away for the bank holiday weekend so this is the first I've heard of it!
Thanks for posting it, Roz. As you said, better to be fully informed.
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brian
Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
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05-05-2009 07:01 AM
Apologies if I spoke out of turn. Maybe I tend to hear the news too often and assume others do as well.
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roz
Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
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05-05-2009 09:30 AM
Have also been away for a day or two- (not Mexico) thought the news had just been released at 4.30pm yesterday afternoon and not everyone would be aware of it especially if like us you tend to avoid listening to the usually gloomy news on Bank Holidays!
From what I can gather a lot of other schools and childcare establishments are now issuing guidelines for managing the situation which hopefully will reduce or limit the outbreak.
Now off to Sainsburys to stock up on Kleenex in case theres a national shortage...
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brian
Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
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05-05-2009 09:46 AM
Roz I agree news is very depressing either corrupt bankers , politicians or of course swine flu.
Closing the schools after cases seems a bit like closing the stable door. However not sure what else they can do. Guess they are telling pupils to go home and stay there do not mix with other pupils or friends.
Cannot help thinking that before we had any cases should have comandered some airport hotels and put all arrivals from Mexico and USA in there in rooms alone until after the incubation period. Guess to obvious for our current Government.
Sorry about earlier mail just thought whole nation listened to The Home Service ( sorry radio 4 for youngsters ) 24/7.
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gingernuts
Posts: 505
Joined: Nov 2007
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05-05-2009 12:48 PM
The flu virus has an incubation of period of approx 7 days. The reason they close the schools is to ensure only those who have not become infected return. Thus preventing the spread of the virus through the school at least.
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andrewr
Posts: 296
Joined: May 2006
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05-05-2009 12:51 PM
From what I can gather the symptoms of swine flu are pretty minimal for the majority. The numbers of people thought to have died in Mexico are small compared with the number that would die in a normal flu outbreak. So what is the world so worried about? Surely it would be better for us all to get this apparently minor illness and build up some natural immunity before the next, more severe, version hits us. Or have I missed something?
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michael
Posts: 3,262
Joined: Mar 2005
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05-05-2009 01:04 PM
The more people who contract swine flu, the more likely it is to mutate (so current treatments and immunity are no longer useful). It is always better to stop the spread of viruses rather than deliberately sneezing on people. But life should probably carry on, just do your shopping in FH rather than East Dulwich!
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Baboonery
Posts: 581
Joined: Sep 2007
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05-05-2009 05:20 PM
Brian
There are more than 15,000 people arriving from the US at Heathrow alone on an average day. Far from being 'too obvious', the idea of quarantining all these people at airport hotels, kicking all their other guests out, would be impossible, disproportionate and not very bright.
As gratuitous and inaccurate shots at the government go, it's not one of your better ones.
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blushingsnail
Posts: 371
Joined: Dec 2005
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08-05-2009 05:14 PM
There was an item on this on BBC Breakfast this morning. Kelvin McKenzie (former editor of The Sun and former Alleyn's pupil) disagreeing with the policy of closing affected schools because the kids will just be out and about in the community instead and spreading it to "Brockley, New Cross and Forest Hill", and that word is spreading about the side effects of Tamiflu, so people aren't necessarily taking it.
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roz
Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
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08-05-2009 06:14 PM
My friend with kids at Alleyns has said she refused to give Tamiflu to her kids due to the side effects being considered greater than the effects of the flu itself; both are doing major exams this summer and she didn't want anything interfering with their revision.
Surely the kids will be out and about in the community anyway at some point as few schools are 24/7; unless things have changed since Kelvins day!
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Baboonery
Posts: 581
Joined: Sep 2007
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08-05-2009 06:27 PM
Smart-**** parenting, there. "Stuff what anyone else thinks or feels or suffers, I'm different and I know best."
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brian
Posts: 2,002
Joined: Apr 2005
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08-05-2009 06:38 PM
Rather like the parents who refused the triple jab now we have an epidemic of measels.
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roz
Posts: 1,796
Joined: Mar 2005
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08-05-2009 08:28 PM
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/wo...549260.ece
Tamiflu is not there to restrict the spread of the flu but to minimise the effects on individuals who have caught it. It has no impact on herd immunity as far as I can see. There are many concerns about its side effects(see above link) and given that the experiences of sufferers have been fairly mild in comparison its surely understandable that people take the view not to give it to their children.
The MMR issue was a result of highly irresponsible overblowing of the risks by some parts of the medical profession which linked it to autism. Again, you can hardly blame parents from being concerned following the extensive press coverage.
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Baboonery
Posts: 581
Joined: Sep 2007
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08-05-2009 09:18 PM
Wow. They have scare stories in Japan too. Big deal.
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