At the school gates the talk was of sore throats and Tamiflu. But for most parents today there seemed to be more questions than answers about the swine flu epidemic.
Gloria Newell, 49, a housing officer, who was picking up her nine-year-old daughter Natasha from St Mary's Church of England School, in Islington, north London, said: "I am just astonished. The figures are quite shocking. There seems to be nothing really in place to cope with this. We have heard about a national vaccination scheme but we do not know when it might be in place."
London and the West Midlands have become hotspots as the numbers of people contacting NHS Direct with swine flu symptoms have rocketed in the past two weeks. In the last week alone 55,000 cases have been reported.
Today the latest victim was identified as a female tourist who died at Raigmore hospital, in Inverness. Scotland's health secretary, Nicola Sturgeon, said the woman, who had "significant underlying medical conditions" died on Wednesday evening.
Meanwhile, Cherie Booth, barrister and wife of Tony Blair, pulled out of an honorary ceremony at Liverpool Hope University after falling ill with suspected swine flu and was reported to have been given a course of Tamiflu.
In north London, another mother, Amal Khaireddine, 30, was concerned about her sons Joseph, five, Shamus, six, and Ryan, eight, all pupils at Hugh Myddleton school in Islington, where there had been several cases of swine flu. "They had sore throats and temperatures and I did what you should do and called the GP. They said … not to worry. But I think they should have been tested, some swabs should have been taken … all you are told is check the NHS website, but that is not 100% safe."
In nearby Culpepper Gardens, Richard O'Connell, 63, said he had taken his two-year-old grandson, Alfie, to the doctor because of a high temperature and was told not to worry. "But you do worry because you don't know what to do … it's all very well telling people to look at the NHS website but what of those of us who do not have a computer?"
Anne Alexander, 62, a retired playschool worker from Highbury, London, believed the publicity was causing "mass panic". Collecting her nine-year-old granddaughter, Niamh Stepto, from school, she said: "The reality is that it may only be as serious as normal seasonal flu."
Paola Domizio, a pathologist and mother to year-old twins Aron and Susha, said : "I'm undecided whether to panic or not. Certainly it is alarming that so many young children may be susceptible. But what can you do? Even if you keep them in all day there are no guarantees. If a vaccine is developed I suppose children will be vaccinated, but until then all you can do is follow the guidelines. So I can't say that I'm particularly panicking, although the figures do sound alarming."
