A PUPIL at a Northumberland school has contracted swine flu.
The girl, who attends St Joseph’s Middle School in Hexham, contracted the disease from a relative who had recently returned from Spain.
Both sufferers, who are reported to be sisters, have only mild symptoms, and have not needed hospital treatment. The pupil was not at school while contagious, so it did not have to close.
However family and friends of the girl have all been given anti-viral treatment as a precaution.
One parent of a child at the school said: “I am only mildly concerned because swine flu does not seem to be developing into the alarming epidemic we had thought it would.
“But clearly it is not good. What is more of a worry is that one of my children is only three-years-old.”
The ill pupil is thought to be the sister of a female One North East worker who contracted the disease while on holiday in Spain.
The school is situated on Highford Lane – an upmarket leafy area of the town. The school accepts pupils from all areas of the town and surrounding villages. Neighbours surrounding the school were unconcerned about the latest outbreak.
One resident on the street, who has children at the school but didn’t want to be named, said: “We had a letter sent home from the school informing us about swine flu.
“I am not terribly concerned about it. There was a lot of panic when it was first in the news but I think it has been proven to be fairly mild now.
“It can be milder than normal flu and the authorities seem to have plenty of anti-viral drugs.”
