Oxfordshire influenza case and general advice

The College receives a daily briefing bulletin from the Oxfordshire NHS. The report for 4th May contained the following information that you may find useful:

(Drawn from the daily meeting of the Oxfordshire Health Emergency Planning Group)



Number of confirmed Oxfordshire cases

We can confirm that a six year old girl from Oxfordshire has tested positive for the influenza A (H1N1) virus. The girl has been treated at home and has now made a full recovery. She was treated with anti-viral drugs and responded well to treatment. We can confirm that she has recently visited Mexico.


In addition the following advice was stressed

General infection control practices and good respiratory hand hygiene can help to reduce transmission of all viruses, including the human swine influenza. This includes:

• Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible (Catch it!)
• Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully (Bin it!)
• Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people (Kill it!)
• Cleaning hard surfaces (e.g. door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product
• Making sure your children follow this advice
• It is important to stress that swine influenza virus is not transmitted by food. There is no risk of catching the illness from eating properly handled and cooked pork or pork products.