BUG RIPS THROUGH SCHOOL; EXCLUSIVE Hundreds of children taken ill as parents fear sickness will spread across N.Wales.Byline: By HYWEL TREWYN A FLU bug was last night blamed for felling 289 pupils at a North Wales North Wales (known in some archaic texts as Northgalis) is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales and to the east by England. high school. And there were fears the virus, already spreading like wildfire, could jump to other schools in Anglesey and Gwynedd. But health bosses calmed concerns it could mutate mu·tate intr. & tr.v. mu·tat·ed, mu·tat·ing, mu·tates To undergo or cause to undergo mutation. [Latin m into the deadly bird flu bird flu: see influenza. bird flu or avian influenza viral respiratory disease, mainly of birds including poultry and waterbirds but also transmissible to humans. , which killed youngsters in Turkey and Asia. Sixth-formers at Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni is the comprehensive school in the west of Llangefni, Anglesey. Opened in around 1953, it has 840 students [2]. Famous alumni include opera tenor Gwyn Hughes Jones, TV and radio personality Hywel Gwynfryn and singer and radio personality Meinir Gwilym. were first struck by the flu, with dozens complaining of headaches and high temperatures. The illness spread quickly. Last night, a third of the school's 770 pupils plus two teachers were said to be off sick. Health bosses insisted the symptoms appeared to be "mild". National Public Health Service for Wales spokesman Chris Lines Chris Lines (born 30 November 1985) is a professional footballer who plays for Bristol Rovers. He graduated through the Bristol Rovers-backed Bristol Academy of Sport at Filton College, and made his first team debut in January 2006 against Chester City at the Memorial advised anyone feeling unwell to stay at home but if the symptoms, headaches and colds, persisted, they should get in touch with their GP. Mr Lines said the illness was "the sort of illness not unusual at this time of year." He did not rule out the flu spreading to nearby schools and beyond. However, he insisted it was not connected to the deadly bird flu which caused deaths in Turkey and China especially. Mr Lines conceded the number of cases was unusually high. He said: "Public health nurses are in touch with schools. These things always start during the winter and it is common to find illnesses around Britain." Ysgol Gyfun Llangefni governor and Plaid Cymru councillor Fflur MaiHughes said: "My son is one of the ones affected. It's a sort of virus which has affected some of his friends as well. "The symptoms have been colds, flu and high temperatures. My son has been off school for two days but will be going back tomorrow." Her son, who is in Year 11, never normally suffers with colds. Mum-of-three Mrs Hughes added: "He hasn't been ill enough to go to the doctor." Anglesey Council education portfolio holder John Meirion Davies from Menai Bridge said: "It sounds a significant percentage of pupils have been affected. Problems for the school could get worse if more teachers are affected." Although no external examinations were being held at the school, missing school could affect the pupils' work as they are continually assessed, he added. School head Haydn Davies was not available for comment last n |
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