Nursery closes after swine flu diagnosis at school

Noah's Ark Nursery Schools, run by Dolphin School in Battersea, is the first early years setting to close as a result of the swine flu outbreak.
The three nursery schools operate from three church halls in Wandsworth.
The independent primary school said that the two children had mild symptoms and were responding well to treatment.
They had had close contact with a previously confirmed case who had returned from the United States.
The school's board of governors decided to close as a 'precautionary measure' because of Dolphin's close links with other south London schools.
In a statement, the school said, 'The same rationale has been used in the closure of Noah's Ark Nursery schools, which Dolphin runs. This time, it is as a result of their close connection with Dolphin School, and the overlap of siblings and staff.'
However, Wandsworth Council said the Health Protection Agency had advised that there was no need to close the school because the children did not display any symptoms while at the school and that there was no need to provide anti-viral drugs to other children.
A spokesperson from the Health Protection Agency said the decision to close a school or nursery would be taken on a case-by-case basis after a risk assessment had been carried out and would depend on factors such as the layout of the school, whether pupils and staff mixed with other year groups, and whether there were communal eating areas.

FURTHER INFORMATION
Advice from the Health Protection Agency for schools can be downloaded at
http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1241180226578