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Six Londoners feared to have virus are told to stay at home and await test results
Rashid Razaq and Peter Dominiczak29.04.09
SIX people from London, including two honeymooners, have been quarantined at home with suspected swine flu.
All are believed to have developed symptoms after returning from affected countries. Tests are being conducted to determine whether the virus has now reached the capital.
Swabs were taken from the patients and tests are due to reveal today whether they have swine flu.
Doctors are advising people who may have contracted the virus to stay at homes to prevent it spreading.
A couple from Harrow, who returned from their honeymoon in the Mexican resort of Cancun, are among those ordered to stay at home after they both fell ill with flu-like symptoms.
Nicholas Williams and his wife Heather told how they fell ill.
He said: "We came back on Monday 20 April. By the Wednesday I became ill and stayed in bed for three days.
"These were the worst flu symptoms I have ever had. Our family came to visit us over the weekend to look at our honeymoon snaps and they were concerned about our health after the media reports of swine flu in Mexico."
Mr Williams contacted NHS direct and was told us to stay at home and to contact his GP.
The Health Protection Agency was informed and told the couple they should be tested for swine flu, but their doctor did not have swab kits and the only way to get checked would be to go to nearby Northwick Park Hospital.
Mr Williams and his wife decided to stay at home and wait for their GP to receive the swab kits. They are now relying on family to bring food and drink to their home, but it was unclear if the family had been tested.
Other cases in the capital include two people who walked into University College Hospital with mild symptoms of the virus.
The pair were sent home and asked to avoid contact with others. The hospital would not confirm whether they had returned from Mexico or another country known to be affected.
Tests are also being conducted on a woman in Clapham who developed a fever and became sick after returning from holiday in Canada via New York, two places with confirmed cases of swine flu. People living near her GP's practice on Clapham High Street feared the woman may have infected others.
Charlene Todd, 27, a receptionist from Stockwell, said her main concern was that the woman could easily have passed on the virus: "To find out that there could be a case of it in Clapham is really scary.
"This woman who may be infected could have been on public transport. She could have been anywhere and passed it on to anyone."
Libby Brodie, 25, an events organiser from Clapham, said: "It is horrible to think swine flu could be at your back door. It's not good. If there is a real health emergency, there needs to be proper stocks of medicines."
Chris Smit, 30, who works in IT, said: "It was inevitable it was going to come to London at some point, but it's still shocking to have it on our doorstep."
The sixth Londoner, Gemma O'Brien, 27, has been quarantined in Edinburgh after she came into contact with friends who may have caught swine flu in Mexico.
Reader views (5)
i think it is naive to say bring it on alanj, flu is a killer virus and swine flu we simply don't know how dangerous it is but i for one would not want to catch it, remember 1918 i believe that was a h1n1 strain and look at the death toll, i hope that being the 21st century and the advent of anti viral's people will have a much better survival prospect then in 1918 spanish flu.
- Simon, hemel hempstead
now its hit level 5 maybe the uk will step up a gear sending people home from hospital is a joke
- Paul Hazeltine, london chiswick
well im looking forward to getting it, a few days off with a bad case of man flu sounds okay as compared to work at the moment, Ive got some lempsip and with the sun shining in London I can sit in the garden and max out the credit card on kleenex. bring it on.
- Alanj, London
Probably won't be a life and death matter in the UK but will be a major economic disaster. Estimate 3% off GDP. Are the Goverment even thinking about ensuring the tube is kept properly clean or left to be a petri dish for the virus. Millions of leaflets but no anti viral medicines actually available but stockpiled for what? Plans for key workers to be vaccinated? Imagine 40% of the police force being off sick? This government will learn the lessons for the next pandemic in 40 years time and we will suffer as part of their education!
- Gazza, london
Would it not be sensible for officials to meet all incoming flights returning from Mexico & advise all those passengers to go home & stay there for at least 5 days. How come other countries have already installed screening devices at their airports & we just let returning holidaymakers go home,via the tube/trains & infect possibly hundreds of other people on the way?
- Incredulous, Essex
