July 22^nd, 2009

Dear Parent or Carer,

With the Summer Holidays approaching and the number of swine flu cases in the region continuing to rise, I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you the advice we have been given by NHS and Health Protection agency about dealing with any cases of swine flu we may have in the nursery in the future.

National guidance has recently been updated so that closure of nurseries are now only likely in exceptional circumstances and preventative anti viral drugs will no longer routinely be offered to large groups of children. As swine flu starts to circulate more freely in the local community, these measures are no longer effective.

The most important advice we have been given is that children who have symptoms of flu like illness should stay away from the nursery until they have recovered and are free of symptoms. This is to avoid spreading the infection as much as possible.

You should call the nursery if your child has swine flu and you can check symptoms online at www.nhs.uk or call the swine flu information line on 0800 1 513 513.

If you are still concerned stay at home and call your GP. If your GP does advise anti viral treatment for a child please let the nursery know as soon as possible.

It is important to point out that the vast majority of people who have swine flu make a quick recovery at home. However you should do what you can to  prevent the infection being spread to others by taking the recommended precautions.

Yours sincerely,

Sally Minns