THE head teacher of a Southampton school which has shut for two days after a major flu epidemic has described it as the worst outbreak he’s ever seen.

More than 250 students and 40 staff from Redbridge Community School have reportedly fallen ill with the highly contagious virus.

One teacher was even admitted to hospital with flu symptoms, including severe chest pains, and was treated with antiviral drugs.

Yesterday, the school, which has more than 1,000 students, was shut in a bid to prevent the spread of the virus and to allow a team to deep-clean the premises.

 

The school will remain closed on Monday and could even stay shut on Tuesday.

Head teacher Jason Ashley said the decision was also taken due to staffing levels, after a “disproportionate” number of employees became infected.

Mr Ashley, who has been in teaching for 22 years, said: “I’ve never experienced a flu outbreak like it.

“It’s the worst outbreak I’ve ever seen.

“It was like dominoes, just one person after the other. It really hit us hard.”

Mr Ashley said he became aware of the outbreak on Wednesday, when a number of students were sent home with flu-like symptoms.

On Thursday, 12 staff members rang in sick and several were sent home during the school day.

After consulting Public Health England and Southampton City Council, Mr Ashley said he decided to close the school on both Friday and Monday.

He said 40 employees, around half of the school’s staff, have now reported having symptoms, while a quarter of the school’s students are also reportedly sick.

Mr Ashley said: “It really was surprising how quickly it spread.

 

“When we had 12 staff sick we could just about cover internally, but after that it gets difficult.”

He added: “I will keep in contact with staff this weekend and assess if we can reopen on Tuesday.”

The decision to close the school has prompted praise from Southampton City Council education chief, Darren Paffey.

He said: “It’s always a tough call to make and I commend the school’s leadership for making it."

Cllr Paffey added: "I wish everyone a speedy recovery.”

Southampton City Council say no other authority-run schools in the area have closed.

The news of the closure of Redbridge Community School comes as public health bosses both locally and nationally have warned of an increase in reports of flu.

They have warned that this current strain, called A(H1N1)pdm09, is particularly affecting people of a working-age.

Conall Watson, health protection consultant and flu lead for Public Health England south east, said: “Specialists from Public Health England South East have been notified about an outbreak at a Southampton school and we have provided advice to the school to help reduce the risks of the illness spreading to others.

"As we would expect at this time of year, our data shows that more people are visiting GPs with flu symptoms and we are seeing more people admitted to hospitals with the flu.

File photo dated 18/01/18 of a woman with a tissue. The Met Office warned that pollen levels have been unusually high in recent weeks and are set to be high on Sunday and Monday, with England worst hit, particularly London, the South East, the East of Eng

"This current strain is well matched with the strains in the flu vaccines for this season and uptake in pre-school age children is at its highest ever; this might be helping to contain flu this winter.

He added: "It’s not too late to get vaccinated.

“The vaccine is the best defence we have against the spread of flu and it helps protect other people too, especially those in risk groups including children and those aged 65 and over, pregnant women or those with a long-term medical condition.

“We advise people suffering with flu-like symptoms should catch coughs or sneezes in tissues and bin them immediately, wash their hands regularly with soap and warm water and frequently clean regularly used surfaces to stop the spread of flu.

"Avoid having unnecessary contact with other people if you or they have symptoms of flu."

University Hospital Southampton says it is also feeling the impacts of the current flu strain.

Dr Daniel Baylis, clinical lead for older persons and emergency medicine at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We are seeing significant spikes in patients presenting to hospital and they are tending to be more unwell, meaning that a greater proportion are needing to be admitted.

"“Our teams are working hard to meet these pressures in a safe and efficient manner and are delivering an enhanced seven-day service in conjunction with colleagues from community health and social care.”