Updates from Oxfordshire authorities: no cause for concern

Latest guidance from the Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum (which is our local advisory body) is as follows:

'The WHO has recently raised the Swine Flu alert level to 6. This decision reflects the geographic spread of the virus and not its severity. The move to Phase 6 does not trigger any material change to our response in the UK. Actions taken in the UK are based on the situation here and our preparations are well advanced.'

Chair of the Local Resilience Forum (LFR) Working Group, Assistant Chief Constable, Brian Langston, said:

'It should be stressed that the impact has been considerably less than we had anticipated. Therefore the escalation to Phase 6 gives us no cause for concern.'

Dr. Jonathan McWilliam, Director of Public Health for Oxfordshire, explained:

'A pandemic is not related to the severity of the influenza, but to its spread. The World Health Organisation is responding largely to developments in Australia. We do expect to see an increase in the number of cases in the Thames Valley but not immediately and we are confident everything is in place to ensure we are able to deal with the situation.'