Five new UK flu cases confirmed

Leaflets about swine flu prevention and treatment are being distributed

Four more adult cases of swine flu have been confirmed in England, taking the UK total to 32, officials have said.

They are from Tameside in Greater Manchester, Northamptonshire, Clacton in Essex, and the West Midlands area, the Health Protection Agency confirmed.

Each of the new cases is related to travel in Mexico, officials said.

Meanwhile, the first of five schools closed after pupils fell ill with the H1N1 virus - South Hampstead High in London - is due to reopen on Thursday.

Two other schools in London, one in Devon and one in south Gloucestershire will stay closed until Monday.

A further 390 suspected cases of the virus remain under investigation in the UK and across the globe there are more than 1,658 confirmed cases.

"The Health Protection Agency is working to ensure that any close contacts of these cases are offered antivirals as a precautionary measure," the body said on its website.

Earlier, Berkshire East Primary Care Trust (PCT) said it was searching for people who had been on a flight from Mexico with a man who had tested positive for the virus.

Preparation

The man in his 20s, from the Slough area, developed symptoms of the virus during the flight, which landed in the UK on 30 April.

The trust said it was looking across Britain in a bid to contact all the man's fellow passengers but that there were no further suspected cases in Berkshire.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said that of the UK cases, 28 were in England and four in Scotland.

"It is right that we are preparing for the possibility of a global pandemic," she said.

"The UK's arrangements are continuing to ensure that we are well-placed to deal with this new infection."

Earlier this week, the government began distributing leaflets to every home in the UK that stress the importance of good hygiene to avoid spreading the disease.