British children quarantined in Chinese hospital may not have swine flu

It came after the British Embassy in Beijing confirmed that four more cases were diagnosed yesterday, doubling the number of British children in hospital.

Seven of the eight pupils currently being held in isolation at the Ditan Infectious Diseases Hospital are from two London schools.

Three are from the Central Foundation Boys School in Islington and four are from Parliament Hill School in Camden. The eighth pupil is from Clevedon School in Somerset.

A further 48 students on the trip remain under guard in the Yanxiang Hotel where only medical staff are allowed to enter by Chinese police.

Three layers of metal barriers are said to be blocking the entrance to the hotel and yellow police tape marks the outer perimeter of the quarantine.

Among the three pupils from Central Foundation Boys School held in quarantine are 14-year-olds Matthew Barnett and Zain Kauser.

Zain's mother, Farzana Kauser, from Tower Hamlets, believed the Chinese authorities had mistaken her son's allergies for the disease.

"They probably thought it was swine flu instead of hayfever. He gets it every year. He hasn't got swine flu. They have over-reacted but when I speak to him he seems fine and tells me there is nothing to worry about."

Matthew's mother, healthcare assistant Jackie Barnett, 43, from Islington, said: "Obviously I'm worried but he said he's feeling fine. They are over-reacting but I can understand why.

"Considering they are children it must have been a bit daunting for them. We were worried when he went out there anyway because he has never been away from home so when this came out it escalated ten-fold. It's a bit of a disaster."

From his hospital bed today Matthew told how he was getting better and is hoping to leave the ward as soon as possible.

He said: "It has been quite scary. I was shocked because I wasn't really feeling any of the symptoms. I'm worried about the length of time I'm going to have to stay in here.

"I'll get my test results later today and then I'll know when I can leave. I really hope I can get out of here soon. The other pupils from my school seem to be getting better now as well."

He said he has been coping by watching TV programmes on his portable DVD player and eating crisps supplied by the British Embassy.

Matthew's teacher, Ian Tyrrell, who is staying at the hotel, said: "I've been in constant contact with the pupils in hospital. They're doing well but we've no indication when they will be released from hospital.

"I'm in the process of preparing to tell my group in the hotel that we will leave tomorrow. I really hope I don't have to disappoint them and tell them they will be here for longer. I'm looking forward to speaking to the doctors and confirming that we will all be leaving within 24 hours."

Sources claimed that teachers from other school groups are keeping their pupils confined in their rooms because they are afraid of the disease spreading in the hotel. However some of the children have been allowed to spend time in the hotel garden.