A PUPIL at a Huddersfield school has contracted swine flu.

Parents at Castle Hill School in Newsome received the news in a letter sent home with pupils yesterday.

The pupil, believed to be a girl from the Dewsbury area, was diagnosed yesterday morning.

It is believed the pupil was still attending school up to Thursday.

The letter sent by headteacher Gill Robinson says: "We have had a confirmed case of swine flu at our school.

"The child concerned is not in school and will remain at home for the recommended period of seven days.

"Advice from the Primary Care Trust, Health Prevention and the local authority is that school should remain open as usual."

It goes on to say the school sent a letter to parents on Thursday with advice and precautions to take if their child shows symptoms of swine flu.

The school will remain open despite the outbreak, in line with Government recommendations.

But staff remained tight-lipped about the case, other than confirming they were working with Kirklees Council.

More than 100 pupils aged between three and 19 attend the school for children with severe and profound learning disabilities.

A parent – who did not wish to be named – said: "This is a real shock and it has come out of the blue.

"These children are so vulnerable because of the nature of their conditions. It is so worrying."

"It really couldn’t have happened to a more vulnerable group."

The news came as health chiefs confirmed swine flu has spread to Huddersfield.

But they were unable to say how many cases had hit the town, despite seeing a "noticeable rise" in the number of antiviral drug prescriptions being given.

According to NHS Kirklees, the exact number of cases is no longer being logged since the Government decided to change the way it is dealing with the outbreak.

Efforts are now focusing on treating the virus instead of stopping it spreading as cases across the country soar to almost 10,000.

But an NHS Kirklees spokesman confirmed more patients locally are being treated for the symptoms.

He said: "Vulnerable groups will be offered antivirals within 48 hours but those without underlying medical conditions will be treated in the same way as normal flu."

"A lot of people are going to get it or may have had it already."

The news comes as the Government announced plans to give swine flu sufferers automatic sick notes for up to 14 days, instead of the usual seven days.

The short-term measure will be brought in to relieve the burden on GP surgeries and keep people in their homes to prevent the spread of infection.

Currently, employees can be off for seven days, including weekends and bank holidays, without needing a sick note from their GP.

It is understood the illness has already claimed the lives of two people in Kirklees. Both victims are understood to have had underlying medical conditions.

Tests show Dewsbury teacher Abdullah Patel, 42, died of swine flu last Sunday.

The teacher worked at the Institute of Islamic Education – a private boarding school in Savile Town – which was closed after there was a swine flu outbreak last week.

Nine-year-old epileptic schoolgirl Asmaa Hussain, also from Dewsbury, lost her life whilst suffering swine flu.

It is not yet known whether the flu bug was responsible.

Dr Judith Hooper, director of public health for NHS Kirklees, said: "Our thoughts and condolences are with the family and friends of two Kirklees residents who have passed away in recent days.

"Both individuals had been confirmed as having swine flu and I would like to reassure the local community that everything that could have been done to treat the individuals was done.

"Tests have shown that a contributory cause of death of the Dewsbury man was swine flu (H1N1). The individual also had serious underlying health issues.

"We cannot confirm any details about the cause of death of the child at this time and thus cannot confirm whether swine flu was a contributory cause at this time."

She urged people to make themselves aware of swine flu, the symptoms, treatment and actions to take to help prevent the bug.

People were being asked to avoid going to their GPs or chemists but to check their symptoms online at www.nhs.uk or by calling NHS Direct on 0845 4647.

For further information visit www.kirklees.nhs.uk