Health chiefs are urging parents to keep sick children off school for at least a week as an outbreak of flu sweeps across schools in the South West of England.
Public Health England has written to the directors of public health in the South West to urge proper hand washing hygiene, after GPs reported more cases of flu.
The H1N1 virus or swine flu is also going around, and the NHS has said that it is now considered “normal seasonal flu”.
In the letter sent by the PHE, it says they have received an “increased number of calls from schools reporting outbreaks of respiratory, flu-like illness.”
“One of the circulating flu strains at present is H1N1, also known as swine flu. As this strain is not now a pandemic strain, it should be treated like any other circulating flu strain."
According to the PHE chiefs, sick children are going back to school too soon after being ill, which is adding to the spread. They are asking parents to keep kids showing signs of flu out of class for five to seven days, or until their symptoms are gone.
"When a child is free of the symptoms of a flu-like illness they can return to school. This is usually about one week after the symptoms start. We understand how difficult this can be for parents with work commitments and childcare but this will help reduce on-going transmission of the infection," Dr Bruce Laurence, the director of public health for PHE said.
"Further information about germs and hand washing is available on the official website. It contains games and other information to help children learn how to prevent the spread of germs."
