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This morning, swine flu has been confirmed at a leading Cardiff private school.
Public Health Wales officials were called in after 120 pupils at the Cathedral School, in Llandaf, became ill with flu-like symptoms. Tests have confirmed at least three pupils at the school have the H1N1 swine flu virus, which caused last year's flu pandemic.
Stephen Morris, headteacher of the Cathedral School, told WalesOnline that: "We currently have a high number of pupils away ill from school, even considering the time of year. On Monday, we had confirmation that, of six people tested as a sample of those unwell, three had the H1N1 influenza A virus, the current seasonal flu."
He added: "We have also conducted an audit of our infection control systems and are working closely with our professional cleaning contractors to ensure we are doing all we can to contain the spread of the virus. We continue to monitor the situation and to follow the advice of health professionals."
Dr Gwen Lowe, a consultant in communicable disease control for Public Health Wales, said: "In order to prevent further spread of this illness parents should not send their children to school if symptomatic, and keep them away until recovered. Symptomatic individuals should also be excluded from school attendance for any other."
Cases of flu-like illnesses have risen sharply in Wales over the last few days and GPs have been given permission to prescribe antiviral medicines.
The outbreak at this school is in addition to last month's case in Northern Ireland where a child was diagnosed with swine flu and subsequently died. Twenty people from Northern Ireland died in last year's swine flu outbreak, including a number of children with severe learning difficulties.
Health protection experts at The University of Nottingham were recently appointed official partners to The World Health Organization (WHO) on pandemic influenza and research.
The Health Protection Research Group will provide consultative assistance on pandemic preparedness, training and educational support, evaluating the response to the 2009 pandemic (A/H1N1), strengthening future pandemic preparedness and developing public-health related research on influenza.
Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, the Director of the Health Protection Research Group said: "Our group has been working with WHO for some time... However we do, of course, see this designation as a firm signal that our collaboration to date has worked well for WHO. So it's a tremendous honour, and a big responsibility."
Professor Van-Tam worked closely with the Health Protection Agency and the UK Government during the 2009 pandemic. His team’s work with WHO will focus on evaluation of the preparedness activity that was done from 2005 to 2008, improving this for the future and providing further training to central Asian countries.
EU FloodCommand is a new UK-led, EU co-funded project to improve cooperation between member states as they plan and implement
a joined-up response to coastal flooding disasters
Coastal flooding has been a cause of major loss of life and destruction of property over recent decades across Europe,
and the problem is due to get worse with global warming and predicted rises in sea levels. The EU has agreed to fund the project
up to 80 per cent of its overall eligible costs.
In the run up to a EU FloodCommand Conference on May 9th, I spoke to Rod Stafford who chairs the project board. He outlined, albeit in Euro
jargon, that EU FloodCommand is a pilot project co-funded by the European Commission under the Call for Proposals for Cross Border Cooperation
in the Fight Against Natural Disasters. The project is run by a board consisting of
representatives from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA), the Irish Coastguard, the Swedish Rescue Services Agency and VectorCommand Ltd.
The key people involved in the project are John Astbury, Chief Executive of the MCA, Jeremy Azis, the managing director of VectorCommand Ltd, and
Rod Stafford who chairs the Project Board.
Rod Stafford explained: "The project is a blend of conferences, workshops, technology development and exercises aimed at establishing a Maritime Search & Rescue
(S&R) Response Module which will allow the innovative use of Maritime S&R resources to be integrated into the coordinated response to coastal or
tidal flooding resulting from tsunami or massive tidal surge."
I asked what in practical terms what EU Flood Command's role be if the Netherlands, say, were at high risk of flooding? "The Pilot Project would establish a system
for the coordination of Maritime S&R assets from the Project Partners - UK, Sweden and Ireland. If there were a flooding disaster in the Netherlands which needed such
resources then the Response Module would coordinate the deployment of these assets in support of the response."
The MCA is a Category One Responder under the Civil Contingencies Act and is a partner in the project. The project has also involved experts from the emergency services
to take part in its conferences, workshops and exercises. The Civil Contingencies Secretariat of the Cabinet Office sits on the project board as the Competent Authority
for civil protection in the UK. The project itself is not a responder agency and therefore does not sit inside any responder structures, however the system put in place by the
project will operate within the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism.
Rod Stafford said: "The aim of EU FloodCommand's Conference & Workshop on 9th-10th May
is to raise awareness of the risks of tsunami and tidal surges resulting in massive coastal
or tidal inundation, and the potential for the integration of Maritime S&R assets into the coordinated response."
Article was provided by Jonathan Rush, Editor, Contingency Today/CT Review and Conference Chair for Civil Contingencies 2011
PRESS RELEASE: Civil Contingencies 2011 is pleased to announce our partnership with the Continuity Forum.
The Continuity Forum is a long-established and independent NGO that specialises in providing practical information, assistance and guidance to organisations of all types needing to create effective Business Continuity Management, Security, Crisis Management and Resilience programmes.
The event's topical plenary and seminar sessions fit neatly into the Continuity Forum's industry expertise.
Working alongside our partners, delegates can be assured that they will receive the latest information and guidance within this area.
If you are someone working directly, indirectly or in any area of civil contingency or emergency planning, then this sector-leading event is at the top of your agenda.
Register your places now by going to: http://www.civil-contingencies.co.uk/booknow.php
The Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra) has announced a total of £2million to improve flood rescue capability. Grants totalling approximately £650,000 have been awarded from the fund today.
Announcing the new funding, Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said:
"We have learnt from the floods we have experienced in recent years that the emergency response is most effective when public, private and voluntary groups work well together and we saw in Cornwall how important it is for these groups to have well rehearsed plans in place.
"The money we're announcing today will help local flood rescue teams such as fire and rescue services, police and the RNLI to buy extra equipment or training which will be used in a rescue situation when the need arises."
All the equipment bought with the new money will be added to the National Asset Register of emergency resources that others can call upon in the event of a major flood.
Applications for the remaining funding can be made to Defra until 31 January 2011.
The successful applicants were announced at a flood emergency response exercise at Hawley Lake in Hampshire, which involved fire and rescue crews, police, Army personnel and the Environment Agency. The event marks the launch of preparations for Exercise Watermark, a week-long national flood emergency exercise which takes place in March next year involving all Government departments.
Caroline Spelman added:
"Exercise Watermark stems from Sir Michael Pitt's recommendations following the 2007 floods which caused so much devastation and heartache. The government is committed to implementing those recommendations and working with communities to minimise the risks to people's lives and their livelihoods.
"The events taking place today and next spring when we carry out more emergency drills will help us to be as prepared as we can be for the dangers caused by floods."
The risk of a terrorist attack in Britain is greater than at any time since 2007, Sir Paul Stephenson, the Metropolitan police commissioner, warned late last month. Mentioning the attempted murder of Stephen Timms MP, and the cargo airline bomb plot, he told the Royal United Services Institute in London: "In my judgment, shared by senior colleagues in the security service, this is undoubtedly as dangerous a time as we have seen for the UK, and UK interests abroad, since the attempted attacks in nightclub in London and Glasgow in 2007. There can be no complacency."
A major aim of the Government is to eliminate the risk of terrorist attacks so that people can go about their business freely and with confidence. The recently published Strategic Defence and Security Review: Securing Britain in an Age of Uncertainty sets out how we will deliver the priorities identified in the National Security Strategy. It describes how public sector agencies must tackle the threats we face today and in the future - whilst setting up contingency plans in the event of a terrorist attack.
Several cargo planes were grounded at separate US airports after suspicious packages were found on board planes in London and Dubai. Security has been stepped up at UK airports for flights to the US following the incident.
In response to this breach of national security, the Government has ordered a wide-ranging review of air freight security after the plot to send bombs on cargo planes.
This incident has happened in the wake of the Government's recently revised National Security Strategy entitled "a strong Britain in an age of uncertainty", pointing towards an evolving future for business continuity.
A section of this report, "Risks to our Security", makes it clear that we have to promote resilience, both locally and nationally, and to achieve this is a truly strategic approach which requires us to go significantly further than just assessing domestic civil emergencies. The new National Security Risk Assessment includes the full range of existing and potential risks to our security that might emerge over the next two decades.
Tier One details those considered to be the highest priority for UK national security based on likelihood and impact. These include terrorist attacks on the UK or its interests, criminal or state sponsored cyber attack and major accidents or natural hazards that require a national response.
While there has been a significant real increase in real terms for
flood defence spending since 1997, in order to maintain existing levels
of flood protection to 2035, spending on asset maintenance and
construction would have to increase by 80% to over £1 billion per year.
That is an increase of £20 million plus inflation per year to 2035,
excluding the costs of tackling surface and groundwater flooding. This
investment would save the economy some £180 billion over the next 100
years.
• Finding the funding necessary for flood protection works will be challenging in the light of budgetary constraints.
• While national funding will continue to be important, local and other funding will have to play an increasing role in meeting local flood risk management priorities.
Balancing development pressure, flood risk protection and environmental aims will continue to be difficult, particularly in light of the potentially significant impacts of climate change. New measures introduced by the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 should help to deliver a more coordinated approach, although controversial decisions about which flood protection measures should be funded will remain.
• The National and Local Flood Risk Management Strategies being developed will have important implications for local communities.
• Balancing the competing objectives and interests of different stakeholders will lead to controversial proposals related to flood protection.
• Full engagement with affected communities will be needed.
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