A LOWESTOFT man who recently returned from travel in Florida has been confirmed as the first case of swine flu in the region.
A LOWESTOFT man who recently returned from travel in Florida has been confirmed as the first case of swine flu in the region.
Ten more cases have been confirmed in the UK today, among them four more cases in the east of England.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) confirmed this afternoon that a Lowestoft man has now been confirmed as having the infection after recently returning from Florida.
The HPA is currently carrying out tests on people who have had close contact with these patients and will distribute anti-virals as appropriate.
Dr Paul Cosford, regional director of public health, said: “As a region, the NHS in the east of England is well prepared for cases of swine influenza. We have put in place the Department of Health's guidance, set up incident response teams and rolled out the Health Protection Agency's advice to ensure that frontline NHS staff are prepared for cases of swine flu.
“This is part of normal emergency preparedness planning in ensuring the NHS is best able to respond.”
The other three confirmed cases in the east of England today are a man from North Weald, who is a close contact of an already confirmed case, a child from Canvey Island, who has returned from travel in Mexico, and a woman from Huntingdonshire.
If you are worried about swine flu, call the information line on 0800 1513 513. If you have flu-like symptoms, stay at home and contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647 or phone your GP.
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