Dear Doctor, I have been hearing about this poor Russian who has been poisoned and lots of information from the
Health Protection Agency. I am not really sure who or what the
Health Protection Agency is.
It consisted of the following persons: David Bell, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA (coordinator); Angus Nicoll, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, Stockholm, Sweden, and
Health Protection Agency, London, United Kingdom (working group chair); Keiji Fukuda, WHO, Geneva, Switzerland; Peter Horby, WHO, Hanoi, Vietnam; and Arnold Monte, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Meanwhile the
health protection agency is warning holiday makers to practice safe sex.
Shadow health minister Anne Milton said: "At this stage, it is not clear whether the
Health Protection Agency got their advice wrong, or whether there was insufficient communication with local environmental health officers.
The West Midlands branch of the
Health Protection Agency had already confirmed that six cases of swine flu had been linked to the school, which is now undergoing a "deep clean" ahead of its reopening next week.
"Health agencies are telling parents in the local area that there is no need to see a doctor unless their child is unwell." Dr Dan Killalea, consultant with the
Health Protection Agency, said: "This is a sad and rare occurrence.
Dr Huda Mohamed, director for the
Health Protection Agency in Warwickshire, said: "Measles is an unpleasant illness even in its mildest form.
If any local residents near the Kingswinford site remain concerned about cancer and other illnesses I would encourage them to take their concerns to the
Health Protection Agency for independent examination and expert health advice.
As regional director of the
Health Protection Agency he carries overall responsibility for the delivery of local health protection services to the population of the North-east and leads on various national projects including sexual health and blood borne viruses.
Prof Barry Cookson, of the
Health Protection Agency, said that if bed occupancy was reduced to 85% it would help stop the disease spreading.
The regional director of the
Health Protection Agency Prof Qutub Syed says the number of flu cases has not yet reached epidemic levels.
The
Health Protection Agency revealed that nine further patients under investigation in England were confirmed with swine flu, bringing the current total number of confirmed UK cases to 27.