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Letters to parents

HPV School Letter

2 October 2009
Dear Parent / Guardian

In light of the emerging facts surrounding the tragic death of a pupil in Coventry and the reassurance of the Department of Public Health, the planned HPV immunisation will take place on Monday for pupils in Years 8, 10 and 11.

Thank you to those parents who have returned the consent form. If you have not, and wish your daughter to receive the vaccine, she should bring the form into school on Monday morning. I am afraid that the vaccine will not be available to individual pupils without this form.

You will find a message at the back of this letter from the Liverpool Primary Care Trust. This outlines the advice given by the Department of Public Health and directs you to the NHS immunisation website for further details.

Yours sincerely


Miss Jane Griffiths
Headteacher

HPV Liverpool Primary Car trust

1 October 2009
Dear Parent

I am sure you will have heard of the sad news that a young girl from Coventry died, on the same day as receiving the HPV vaccine. The post mortem results show that she died from a large malignant tumour of unknown origin in the heart and lungs. There is no indication that the HPV vaccine was a contributing factor to the death, which could have arisen at any point.

The HPV vaccination programme is continuing as advised by the Department of Health and supported by Liverpool Primary Care Trust. We would like to reassure you that the vaccine is safe and has been rigorously tested in the UK as well as other European countries. It has a strong safety record.

Several million doses of the vaccine have been given around the world, and more than 1.4 million doses have now been given in the UK. The HPV vaccine helps to protect against cervical cancer that kills more than 1000 women every year.

Further information is available on the NHS immunisation website www.immunisation.nhs.uk/hpv Parents or young people can also speak to their GP or school nurse or call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

Best wishes


Emer Coffey (Dr.)
Consultant Public Health
Liverpool PCT

Swine Flu

20th July 2009

Dear Parent / Guardian

You may be concerned about swine flu and what it means to you and your family so I am writing to provide you with some 'questions and answers' that will help you understand what to do if you are affected by swine flu.

Now that the swine flu virus is spreading in communities, the NHS has recently moved from what was called a 'containment' phase to a 'treatment' phase. This means that treatment will now only be given to patients who have the symptoms of swine flu rather than treating all persons known to have contact with them. Whilst this means the number of swine flu cases are increasing, it does not mean the illness is becoming more serious. Most people have experienced mild symptoms and have got better in a week.

I have included some useful telephone numbers and websites for you to obtain up-to-date information and advice in the future at the end of this letter.

I think my child has / I have the symptoms of swine flu. What should I do?

Check the symptoms. The most common symptoms are very similar to normal seasonal flu and include:

You can double check your symptoms by either:

I still think my child / I have swine flu, what should I do?

Call your GP who will be able to provide a clinical diagnosis over the phone.

If Swine Flu is confirmed, the GP will give you a prescription to get antiviral medicine. You should ask someone who does not have Swine Flu symptoms to pick up your prescription for you and take it to a local 'Antiviral Collection Point'; this person would be referred to as your 'flu friend'. The location of this will be given out with the prescription.

Should my child / I stay at home?

If you or your child has the symptoms or has been diagnosed with swine flu you / they should stay at home for at least a week.

A person with symptoms should NOT go to their GP surgery, Walk-in Centre or local A&E Dept. unless advised to do so by a health professional.

Other members of the same family, who have no symptoms, should go to school or work as normal because they are not infectious. However, if they start to develop symptoms they should stay at home, check their symptoms and if necessary phone their GP.

Will school be closed?

There is no greater risk of your child catching swine flu at school than catching it anywhere else in the community. Bearing this in mind, it is unlikely that schools will be closed if pupils have swine flu.

Will friends and family of people with swine flu get antiviral medicine?

They will not be given antiviral medicines unless they develop symptoms themselves.

Will my child / I be OK?

For the vast majority of people swine flu is quite a mild illness. Most people recover within a week, even without antiviral treatment.

In very few cases it can be a more serious illness. People with existing health conditions may be at more risk if they catch swine flu.

Sadly a very small number of people with swine flu have died. Please do remember that this is a very small number and that for the vast majority the effects of swine flu are quite mild.

What can we do to protect ourselves?

Follow good hygiene practices as these will help to slow the spread of the virus and will be the single most effective way of protecting yourself and others from possible infection.

When you cough or sneeze it is especially important to follow the rules of good hygiene to prevent the spread of germs:

There's a simple way to remember this: CATCH IT, BIN IT, KILL IT.

Everyday items such as door handles, computer keyboards, mobile and ordinary phones and the TV remote control are all common surfaces where flu viruses can be found. Keeping them clean will help prevent the spread of the virus

What is the school doing about swine flu?

Schools are working closely with the NHS, Liverpool City Council and other partners to take all appropriate measures to protect children and families.

As the end of the school year approaches, we will continue to work with key partners to ensure that we are doing all that is necessary to plan for the new school year in September 2009.

How do I keep up to date with information about swine flu?

I hope this information has been useful to you.

I hope this information has been useful to you.


Miss Jane Griffiths
Headteacher