E.coli school opening is defended

Mason Jones (L) with his brother Chandler Gibbons' pledge after boy's death E.coli outbreak timeline

Wales' health minister has defended keeping schools open during the E.coli outbreak which has claimed the life of a five-year-old boy.

Brian Gibbons said schools were "probably one the safest places to be".

Mason Jones, from Deri, near Bargoed, died on Tuesday. His brother Chandler, eight, also had the infection.

Caerphilly Council said virtually all pupils at Deri Primary School turned up on Wednesday and described the response by parents as "very positive".

Acting head teacher Nicola Williams will be discussing with children what they want to do in memory of Mason and she also plans to meet Mason's parents.

She said Mason would be missed by everyone at the school.

"Mason was a little boy with a huge heart and an had amazing ability to make a lasting impression on everyone he met," she said.

"He made us all smile with his fascination of dinosaurs and the way he always seemed to turn any conversation into one with a dinosaur theme.

"He was a very special friend to all the children and was the kind of child who was a joy to have in school - unique and full of character and a child that none of us will ever forget."

I can reassure parents that certainly from the school setting we've had no new cases where symptoms have developed in the last week Dr Marion Lyons

Parents arriving this morning said they were satisfied that the school had done its best to deal with the infection and to keep them informed, though some said they are still apprehensive for their children.

The authorities have faced repeated questioning over the decision to keep schools open after E.coli had been detected.

But Dr Gibbons said this was the best way to prevent the spread of the outbreak once the suspected source had been identified.

Public health officials have linked the outbreak of the 0157 strain to meat suppliers Tudor and Son, of Bridgend.

The company is not commenting on the latest developments.

Dr Gibbons told BBC Wales on Tuesday that he had "no doubt" that the outbreak control team followed the correct procedure.

He said: "Once the outbreak was noted, each school that was potentially at risk was contacted."

Dr Gibbons has defended the policy of keeping schools open

He said hygiene improvements were put in place and people were told to ensure that food was cooked properly.

"I would say that the schools were probably one of the safest places to be."

Dr Gibbons said sending children to school kept them away from "secondary infection" - catching the bug from someone already being treated for it - in the home.

But the outbreak control team reported on Tuesday that the E.coli infection continued to be "dynamic," with more cases being identified, mostly from secondary infection.

Dr Marion Lyons, head of health protection at the public health laboratory, said: "It is a rather confusing picture for the public to understand and that's because when a case is reported to us we call it a new case but in fact the onset of illness might be up to two weeks ago or a week ago.

"So I can reassure parents that certainly from the school setting we've had no new cases where symptoms have developed in the last week."

A total of 157 people and 42 schools have been affected since 18 September.

A member of Mason's family has called for more "answers" from the authorities.

Chris Hebbard, a cousin of the family said: "We want to know why it has happened. We have had no information whatsoever."

Mason was initially admitted to Prince Charles Hospital in Merthyr Tydfil but was transferred almost immediately to Bristol with renal problems.

He had been ill for more than a week before his death.