Swine Flu
Health protection advice from the Health Protection
Agency
General hygiene can help to reduce transmission of all viruses, including the swine flu virus.
This includes:
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Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when
possible
Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully
Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing hands frequently with soap and
water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to your face or to other people
Cleaning hard surfaces (such as door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning
product.
What should I do if my child has symptoms of swine flu?
If you think your child may have swine flu, and you have access to the internet, you can
check their symptoms on NHS Direct online.
For children aged under one year
If your baby seems unwell and you think swine flu may be the cause you should phone your
GP for advice. If your baby has a high temperature at or above 38°C and shows any of the
symptoms below you should seek immediate medical advice:
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Severe breathing problems, grunting or noisy breathing when calm.
Unduly sleepy or floppy.
Severe dehydration, with sunken eyes and wrinkly skin.
Has a change in skin colour, becoming pale or blue-ish.
Strikingly irritable or agitated or having fits.
For older children
If your child has the signs and symptoms of swine flu, which include fever, fatigue, lack of
appetite, coughing, sore throat, pain in muscles and joints, headache and chills and, in some
cases, vomiting and diarrhoea, you should keep your child away from school until they have
recovered and are free of symptoms. This is to avoid spreading the infection as much as
possible.
If you think you may have swine flu, contact NHS Direct online or by phone (0845 46 47) or
call your GP.
Certain groups are advised to contact their doctor immediately, including: people with serious
underlying health conditions, pregnant women, children under one or children whose
condition suddenly gets worse and those whose condition is still getting worse after 7 days (5
days for a child).
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Swine flu: frequently asked questions
Swine flu is a respiratory illness caused by a strain of influenza virus, named
pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza.
Added/updated: 12 November 2010
What is being done during the swine flu outbreak to monitor flu in the
community?
In the UK, flu is monitored throughout the year by collecting data from GP surgeries,
patient test samples and information on flu activity provided by a network of boarding
schools and NHS Direct.
Added/updated: 12 November 2010
5th January 2011
Dear Parents
As the colder, damper weather arrives, we can expect to see a rise in the number of children
and adults affected by swine flu. The swine flu virus is now already circulating widely in the
community. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has therefore changed its guidance which
will affect how early years settings and schools are advised to manage suspected cases of
swine flu. Instead of treating all suspected cases and their contacts with antiviral drugs such
as Tamiflu, the focus will now be on trying to control the spread of infection.
Early years settings are places where viruses such as influenza can spread very easily. The
virus is spread by ‘droplets’ that are released into the air when a person coughs or sneezes.
These droplets can then be breathed in by other people. The virus can also survive for up to
8 hours on hard surfaces, so it can be transmitted from saliva or mucus contaminating toys,
tables, chairs, and door handles. Other people touching these surfaces will pick up the virus
and could then infect themselves by touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
We endeavor to control the spread of swine flu by having good protocols and procedures in
place to ensure good hygiene in our setting. The current ‘pandemic’ status for swine flu
means that there are going to be far more people in the local population infected with the
virus. This increases the likelihood of a child or members of staff bringing the virus into the
setting so you need to be extra vigilant in making sure everyone plays their part in reducing
the opportunities for the virus to spread
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Please do not bring your child to the setting if you suspect he or she is ill – please
seek medical advice. People who have been in contact with others who have swine
flu should only be excluded if they themselves show symptoms of the virus.
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The typical symptoms of swine flu are:
o – high temperature and a sudden cough or shortness of breath which may be
accompanied by headache, tiredness, chills, aching arms and legs, joint pains,
upset stomach, sore throat, runny nose, sneezing or loss of appetite.
I have attached a copy of the health protection advice which I downloaded from the HPA
website.
Yours Sincerely
Sara Giwa-McNeil
For Staff
Are you worried about swine flu in your early years setting? Linda Thornton and Pat
Brunton give advice on preventing swine flu spreading, keeping parents informed and
managing existing cases
As the colder, damper weather of autumn arrives, we can expect to see a rise in the number
of children and adults affected by swine flu. The swine flu virus is now already circulating
widely in the community. The Health Protection Agency has therefore changed its guidance
which will affect how early years settings and schools are advised to manage suspected
cases of swine flu. Instead of treating all suspected cases and their contacts with antiviral
drugs such as Tamiflu, the focus will now be on trying to control the spread of infection.
Early years settings are places where viruses such as influenza can spread very easily. The
virus is spread by ‘droplets’ that are released into the air when a person coughs or sneezes.
These droplets can then be breathed in by other people. The virus can also survive for up to
8 hours on hard surfaces, so it can be transmitted from saliva or mucus contaminating toys,
tables, chairs, and door handles. Other people touching these surfaces will pick up the virus
and could then infect themselves by touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
The way to control the spread of swine flu is no different from the approach used to prevent
the transmission of any infection in an early years environment. If you have good protocols
and procedures in place to ensure good hygiene in your setting, these should be adequate
provided they are fully implemented. The current ‘pandemic’ status for swine flu means that
there are going to be far more people in the local population infected with the virus. This
increases the likelihood of a child or members of staff bringing the virus into the setting so
you need to be extra vigilant in making sure everyone plays their part in reducing the
opportunities for the virus to spread.
Practical suggestions
Preventing the spread of infection:
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Review your hygiene and control of infection policy to make sure it is up to date,
practical and easy to understand:
– Spray all materials (where appropriate) with anti-bacterial spray
using kitchen towels to wipe clean. Spray all surfaces – tables, chairs
and tops of shelves on a daily basis.
Frequency = Daily
Responsibility = Sara, Karen, Mariana
-
As part of the bathroom sanitization and setup spray toilet handles,
taps and door handles.
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Frequency = Daily
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Read the information available from the Health Protection Agency (www.hpa.org.uk)
so you understand what precautions you should put in place without causing undue
anxiety.
Responsibility = Sara, Karen, Mariana
Managing a suspected case of swine flu
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Make sure your contact details for parents and staff emergency contacts are up to
date.
Designate a place in your setting where a child or adult showing swine flu symptoms
can be isolated until they can leave the premises.
Decide which member of staff will take responsibility for looking after a child
showing swine flu symptoms before he/ she is collected. The HPA recommends the
wearing of personal protective clothing – disposable gloves, apron and surgical mask.
Make sure the staff member knows how to put these on and take them off correctly
to minimise the risk of infecting themselves. The guidelines recommend that the
adult does not sit/stay within one metre of the child. Practically this is likely to be
very difficult to implement with very young children who will want to be comforted
and reassured
Swine flu: advice for employers and staff
This section contains the latest guidance on swine flu (pandemic (H1N1) 2009 influenza) in
the workplace. This advice is aimed at people in all fields of work but specific advice on
some workplaces is listed below. Advice on what to do if you develop flu-like symptoms is
on the Advice for public page.
Illness in the workplace
If a member of staff attends work and is obviously unwell with flu-like symptoms they
should be sent home and asked to call NHS Direct (0845 46 47). Those with internet access
can log onto the website at http://www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu.
Close contacts of swine flu cases
People who have had contact with a person with swine flu but are showing no symptoms
do not need to be excluded from the workplace.
In some circumstances, people in certain higher risk groups who are a close contact of
people with swine flu may be started on antiviral medicine as a precautionary measure.
They should continue their normal lives, including going to work, so long as they do not
develop any flu-like symptoms.
Illness in the workplace
If you, or a fellow member of staff, attends work and is obviously unwell with flu-like
symptoms your employer should ask you to go home and follow the advice given above.
Preventing the spread of swine flu
It is important to remember that flu is usually spread from one person to another when an
infected person has symptoms (i.e. through coughing and sneezing).
Everyone in the workplace can play their part by practising good hygiene. This includes:
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Washing hands frequently with soap and water, to reduce the spread of virus from
your hands to your face or to other people.
Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when
possible.
Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully.
Cleaning all hard surfaces (such as door handles) frequently, using a normal cleaning
product.
You may want to read the official government leaflet that explains how to prevent
transmission of swine flu. Download the NHS swine flu information leaflet for the
public (external pdf file) from the Direct.gov website.
Infection control guidance
Businesses should follow the detailed infection control guidance given in the documents
below, which were jointly developed by the HPA and the Department of Health, in
association with professional organisations, for use in the event of an influenza pandemic.
Click the links to download the guidance from the DH site.
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Pandemic flu guidance for businesses: risk assessment in the occupational setting.
Last revised 27 March 2009.
Pandemic flu: infection control guidance for funeral directors Last revised November
2009.
Pandemic flu: guidance for cleaning staff and refuse collectors in non-health care
settings. Last revised 30 January 2008.
Pandemic flu guidance for Fire and Rescue Service. Last revised 30 January 2008.
Pandemic flu guidance for the hospitality industry. Last revised 30 January 2008.
Pandemic flu guidance for the Police Service. Last revised 30 January 2008.
Specific guidance relating to Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Influenza