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LONDON - A 12-year old girl was among three new cases of British swine flu cases confirmed Wednesday, triggering the closure of her school as authorities ratcheted up measures to contain the virus.
Anti-viral medicine was given to some 230 fellow pupils at the school in Paignton in Devon, southwest England, after she became the youngest confirmed victim here of the Mexican-origin flu.
"The little girl involved is doing fine," said Health Secretary Alan Johnson, briefing reporters on the new cases, which bring Britain's confirmed cases to five.
The two other new cases are a 41-year-old man from Birmingham, and a 22-year-old man from London, he said. A newly-wed couple from Scotland recently returned from honeymoon in Cancun were Britain's first confirmed cases.
All five cases have recent links to Mexico, where the potentially lethal virus first emerged, he said -- noting that the schoolgirl flew home on the same plane as the honeymooning couple, named as Iain and Dawn Askham.
Parents gathered outside the girl's school, Paignton Community College, voiced concern.
"Right now we just don't know what to think. Obviously it's a worry," said Lisa Walton, 36, who has two sons, Liam and Jack, at the school, adding: "We just had no idea about what was happening here."
According to the Daily Record newspaper, a second newly-wed couple just back from Mexico, Pete and Jenny Marshall, have been quarantined in their Edinburgh home while tests are carried out to determine if they have swine flu.
Earlier, Prime Minister Gordon Brown added that checks were being increased at British airports and other borders, while several million face masks were being ordered for health service workers.
Although there is no widespread sense of alarm in Britain about swine flu, a few people wearing face masks were seen Wednesday, notably at London railway stations.
Johnson confirmed that Britain has signed commercial contracts to increase stocks of anti-viral drugs -- the main ones are Relenza made by GlaxoSmithKline and Tamiflu by Swiss group Roche -- from 35 million to 50 million.
The minister added that a mass public information campaign would be launched from Thursday, while leaflets will be sent to every household in the country next week.
- AFP/ir
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