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School closed amid swine flu fear New swine flu case closes nursery
(about 16 hours later)
A primary school in Greenock is to be closed for a week because a pupil there is a probable swine flu case. A nursery and a primary school in Greenock are to be closed for a week after two children were confirmed as probable swine flu cases.
The five-year-old boy, who is in primary one at Ravenscraig Primary, has so far tested positive for influenza A. A five-year-old boy, who is at Ravenscraig Primary, and a three-year-old attending Ladybird Pre-Five Centre have tested positive for influenza A.
His mother, who came into contact with a teenager from the town who has been confirmed with swine flu, is also being classed as a probable case. Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said 23 pupils in the school's primary one class were being treated with Tamiflu.
Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said 23 pupils in the boy's class were being treated with tamiflu. She added that health officials were at the nursery to provide advice.
Another 17 children who attended an after-school club with him, and staff there, were also being treated. Ms Sturgeon told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme the cases appeared to be connected to a teenager from the town who was confirmed with swine flu at the weekend.
The five-year-old boy's 45-year-old mother is also being treated as a probable case.
Ms Sturgeon said: "As I understand it there is no direct connection between these two children but members of their families are connected.
"It looks at the moment as if we're dealing with one outbreak in Greenock which stems from the 19-year-old from Greenock who was confirmed as positive."
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde was working with the nursery and taking steps to contact all parents at the nursery and provide appropriate advice.
About 100 children, including 20 babies attend the Ladybird nursery school in Chester Road, which is owned by the charity, Ladybird.
The building sits in the grounds of Earnhill Primary School, which has remained open.
The older children and staff at the nursery who have had close contact with the case will be offered Tamiflu.
Nicola Sturgeon will hold a briefing on Wednesday afternoon
The Scottish Government said the babies and younger children have had no contact with the three-year-old so it was not necessary to offer them the treatment.
Ms Sturgeon said another 17 children who attended an after-school club with the five-year-old, and staff there, were also being treated with Tamiflu.
They were also being asked not to return to the after-school club or to their own individual schools for seven days.They were also being asked not to return to the after-school club or to their own individual schools for seven days.
Ms Sturgeon said: "On the basis of a risk assessment the decision has been taken this afternoon to close the school for a period of seven days." Ms Sturgeon added: "I would stress we're still dealing overall with very small numbers and therefore our focus is still on containing the spread of the virus as far as we can.
We would anticipate that they would become confirmed cases in the course of tomorrow Nicola SturgeonHealth Secretary "That means that when we do identify cases we try to throw a cordon around them to minimise the risk of the infection spreading any further so that's what we are still very focused on."
She said the child did not start showing symptoms until he was at the after-school club. The health secretary said her advisors had been guided by experiences in England.
However, health experts have said children can be infectious from 12 hours before they start feeling ill, so the decision was taken to close the school temporarily and give the medicine to the child's contacts. She said: "People will be aware that there have already been a number of school-based cases of swine flu in England and the early evidence from there is that where early action is taken, the spread of the infection can be disrupted and stopped.
The health secretary described the first school closure in Scotland as a "potentially significant" development. Reducing risk
Earlier, Ms Sturgeon gave details of the latest probable case, the boy's 45-year-old mother. "I appreciate that these decisions cause inconvenience to parents and I would ask parents for their understanding and forbearance.
She is a contact of the 19-year-old man from Greenock confirmed on Saturday as the fifth person in Scotland infected with the H1N1 virus. "We are doing this to try to cut down the risk of any other children contracting the virus."
Speaking about the condition of the mother and child Ms Sturgeon said: "We would anticipate that they would become confirmed cases in the course of tomorrow. Alice Curran, whose five-year-old grandson is a pupil at the nursery, said she had only found out it was closed when she arrived with him on Wednesday morning.
"Like all those other cases they are not displaying serious symptoms. She added: "There was one doctor on the door who explained there was one child who they thought had possible contact, and he referred me inside to another doctor who went through it in more detail and gave me the Tamiflu."
"I have said repeatedly mild flu symptoms are not a walk in the park, they are symptoms that will make somebody feel quite unwell for a few days, but they're not symptoms to give any cause for concern."
She added: "As with any illness of course you are going to be that bit more concerned with a child.
"But we do so far know that the symptoms are relatively mild of this virus."
Negative test
An Inverclyde Council statement said: "Staff have been working to contact all the parents of primary one children to arrange for them to pick up courses of Tamiflu.An Inverclyde Council statement said: "Staff have been working to contact all the parents of primary one children to arrange for them to pick up courses of Tamiflu.
"The school will remain closed for seven days as a precaution."The school will remain closed for seven days as a precaution.
"All advice is being acted upon and we will continue to liaise closely with health officials.""All advice is being acted upon and we will continue to liaise closely with health officials."
Ms Sturgeon also revealed that a woman from the NHS Lothian area had tested negative after her husband previously tested positive. There are currently five confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in Scotland, and a number of probable cases are under investigation.
The couple had been in Las Vegas and returned to Scotland via New York. Ms Sturgeon said there was a "high probability" that more cases would be confirmed as positive.
In addition to the woman and her son, nine other possible cases are under investigation in Scotland.
Three of these are linked to the 45-year-old woman being treated as a probable case and the other six are travel related, with three in NHS Lothian and one each in NHS Lanarkshire, NHS Fife and NHS Highland.