5 new cases of swine flu in Britain

According to health officials, two cases from London, two cases from the South East and one case from the West Midlands have been confirmed.

New cases in Scotland too
The Scottish authorities also claimed that three members of the same family; father, mother and daughter, who had returned from a holiday in Florida, were Scotland's latest victims of swine flu.

While the trio is being monitored at home, efforts are on to hunt for passengers sitting near the family on the homebound flight. Close acquaintances and contacts of the family are also being sought for further investigations. The girl child did not return to school, hence there is no apprehension of any of the schoolchildren having been exposed to the virus.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said of the safety measures being undertaken, “All sensible precautions have been taken to contain the potential spread of infection. So far we have been successful in preventing any large-scale onward spread to the general population.”

Flu may get worse: WHO
In 2005, the World Health Organization (WHO) had penned down rules for alerting the world to new diseases. Accordingly, a six-point alert system was created by the organization. The current swine flu is rated 5, which means that a pandemic is "imminent".

Margaret Chan, head of the WHO said of the swine flu, “This is a subtle, sneaky virus. It does not announce its presence or arrival in a new country with a sudden explosion of patients seeking medical care or requiring hospitalisation.”

She warned that the H1N1 influenza is expected to broaden its spread to new countries and will persist to stretch within countries already affected. She opined, “Even the best-laid plans need to be fluid and flexible when a new virus emerges and starts changing the rules.”