Hi °C | Lo °C Two university students from Northern Ireland have told how they have been made to stay away from close contact with other people following their return from Mexico.
Kerry Malone and Rebecca Ingram were told to return to the UK from the swine flu-hit country after health advice from their university.
The girls say they have not shown any symptoms of the disease and are feeling fine, but are taking precautions anyway.
“At the start people were making a joke of it, you’d only see a few people wearing the masks,” Kerry told the BBC.
“Then within the space of one or two days everyone had a mask on. You knew then it was getting serious and people were not going outside. They closed everything, there was nothing to do.
“I was a little bit worried, probably not as much as I should have been. I just assumed that it wouldn’t affect me until I started hearing things from back home about how many people have died.”
Rebecca said: “We’ve been told to stay out of big crowds and close contact. I’ve just stayed with my family in my own house for five to seven days, which is the incubation period. So far I’ve been home for four or five days with no symptoms, I’ve just been taking precautions.”
Meanwhile a further 12 people have been tested for swine flu — bringing to 52 the number of people in Northern Ireland tested for the virus.
So far 40 of these tests have proved negative.
There are now 32 confirmed cases of swine flu across the UK after four more people under investigation in England were confirmed as suffering with the virus.
Testing for the swine flu virus is carried out by the Health Protection Agency's laboratories.
The new cases, all associated with travel to Mexico, are adults from the north west, east, East Midlands and West Midlands regions of England.
The Health Protection Agency is working to ensure that any close contacts of these cases are offered antivirals as a precautionary measure.
Advice remains that individuals returning from affected areas who become unwell within seven days of their return, or contacts of a confirmed or probable case of swine flu who are exhibiting symptoms, should stay at home and contact their GP or NHS Direct on 0800 0514 142.
Individuals will be assessed and, if necessary, testing and treatment will be provided.
