Italy closes schools amid flu fears

Four new cases of H1N1 flu in Italy have led to the closure of two schools in Rome. The high school students are thought to have caught the bug on a recent school trip to New York. Around 400 of their classmates are being tested for the virus. One report says the schools will be shut for a week.

Italy’s Deputy Health Minister said the shut-down was to limit the spread of the virus and prevent a wider outbreak creating a national problem. The number of confirmed cases of H1N1 in Italy now stands at 14. There has also been a flu alert in Spain. Dozens of soldiers at an army barracks in Madrid have been put in quarantine after 11 of their colleagues fell ill. All 11 have been officially diagnosed with H1N1. Spain has the highest number of confirmed H1N1 cases in Europe with 111. Worldwide, more than 11,000 people have been infected, 86 of whom have died. The World Health Organisation today warned it expects the flu to continue spreading and that countries should be prepared for severe and fatal cases.More about: Influenza, Italy, Spain

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