Parents of children who attend the school where a young boy contracted swine flu from another six-year-old fear more children will be struck down with the illness.

Yesterday a classmate of the St Ronan’s Primary School pupil tested positive for the condition.

The six-year-old boy from Newry is the third child to develop the illness and the fourth case of person-to-person spread in the province.

As a precaution the Co Down school was shut down on Monday after the first child and his younger brother developed the condition following a family holiday in Mexico.

Anti-virals were given to all 30 classmates, however yesterday it was confirmed that another classmate of the six-year-old boy had also developed swine flu.

Last night SDLP councillor Karen McKevitt, who knows the family of the latest confirmed case, told the Belfast Telegraph parents in the tight-knit Co Down community had become increasingly worried their own children might contract the condition.

The anti-viral Tamiflu was only distributed to the classmates of the six-year-old.

The Belfast Telegraph understands the young boy confirmed as the third child case has an older sister at the school.

“The parents here are very worried,” Ms McKevitt explained.

“They had been told (when the first child was confirmed) that it was very low risk to other children.

“But now a third child has it.

“Deep down they really didn’t think another child would contract it.”

Ms McKevitt explained that since yesterday’s announcement parents in the area had become very cautious.

Many of the families who have children at St Ronan’s live nearby and socialise with each other.

But because of growing fears that their children might develop the condition they were trying to keep their youngsters indoors.

Some, she said, are even re-considering overseas holidays.

“This is such a close-knit community. Everybody is involved with each other, they all know one another,” Ms McKevitt said.

“And while their spirits of the people here a very good, they feel different now than they did on Monday. More parents are more anxious.”

Ms McKevitt said she had been told that the young boy confirmed yesterday was very sick.

And she also revealed that some of those children who were given the anti-viral Tamiflu had become violently ill.

“I have spoken to one parent whose child has been suffering from side effects from taking Tamiflu and I have spoken to a number of people who have said that they knew of other children who have been really sick after taking Tamiflu,” she said.

“The situation is very worrying for the whole family of St Ronan’s.”

Meanwhile, Health Minister Michael McGimpsey told the Assembly yesterday it will cost a minimum of £53m to deal with the outbreak of the virus here.