Swine flu hits 100 foreign students on Bristol visit

More than 100 international students in Bristol had to be quarantined in halls of residence at the University of the West of England after they came down with swine flu.

They had come over to Bristol to take part in summer schools at the university and were staying in student accommodation on Frenchay Campus.

More than 100 of the 900 overseas students in university accommodation were quarantined to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus.

The university's deputy chancellor said plans were already in place for an outbreak of swine flu in the university and were tested when the foreign students became unwell.

Overseas students have been attending one or two-week courses during the summer break, with the last batch finishing this weekend, and the sessions could continue as planned despite the outbreak after consultation with the Health Protection Agency. Students who were unwell were kept away from the others.

Similar measures will be in place before the new term.

The latest national figures for swine flu cases are due to be released by the Government later today. They had seemed to reach a plateau last week, with only a comparatively small rise in cases but health experts fear that more people may suffer flu in the winter months when there will also be seasonal strains to contend with as well as the H1N1 virus.

NHS managers are working to ensure health services are ready for a spike in cases if it arrives. The University of the West of England put its swine flu plans into place after the outbreak on July 24 and worked closely with the NHS and the Health Protection Agency.

Within 24 hours of students going down with the virus a medical team of 10 was installed on campus. The affected students were kept apart for five days and their parents were notified.

Deputy vice-chancellor, John Rushforth said: "We have put an enormous amount of thought and preparation into planning for this situation.

"These plans were recently put to the test and what could have been a really stressful situation with school students thousands of miles away from home was dealt with calmly and efficiently. Our partners in the NHS more than stepped up to the mark delivering excellent support and advice."