Swine flu: airlines want to stop sneezers flying

As British airports prepare for the busiest holiday periods of the year, a row has broken out between medical experts and airline executives over a demand for doctor's notes from any passenger displaying swine flu symptoms. Both British Airways and Virgin have told staff to look out for passengers with headaches, sore throats and runny noses and stop them travelling if they cannot produce a doctor's note saying they are fit to fly.

But a pandemic flu specialist has told the Times that a doctor's note is "a total and utter waste of time".  Dr Peter Holden, the BMA's lead representative on pandemic flu, said: "A fit-note is only going to be valid at the moment of issue. You could easily become ill between leaving the GP's surgery and reaching the airport. It flies in the face of government efforts to relieve pressure on doctors, and we have much more important work to do than this."

A spokesman for ABTA, which represents travel agents, said that the airlines' precautions were "sensible" and that travel insurance should cover the cost of cancellations caused by the virus. Insurers warned that flying abroad knowing you are ill could nullify a traveller's insurance policy.

Other developments:
♦ Pregnant women: There has been conflicting advice. The National Childbirth Trust, the charity that promotes natural childbirth, has warned that the risks of catching swine flu are so great that women should delay having babies, while the Royal College of Midwives says all expectant mothers should "avoid crowded places and unnecessary travel". But ministers and GPs have sought to downplay the threat. They have accused the Trust of scare-mongering and say only those "particularly concerned" should heed the midwives' advice.

♦ National flu service: Health secretary Andy Burnham told the House of Commons a flu service would be launched in England later this week to relieve pressure on the NHS. The internet and telephone service will be able to diagnose swine flu and provide medication without the need for patients to visit a GP. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will not be covered by the service because demand there is not yet great enough.

♦ Beijing quarantine: Eight British children on a school trip to China are in hospital after contracting swine flu. More than 50 of their classmates and teachers have been quarantined in their hotel. Sandra Marsh, whose 15-year-old daughter Catherine is being kept in isolation, told the Daily Telegraph: "An armed police van arrived and other men in contamination suits and took some of the girls away to a hotel in Beijing." She said her daughter was "terribly upset" by the ordeal.

♦ Economic threat: A report from the auditors Ernst & Young has warned that swine flu could delay hopes of an economic recovery in Britain until after 2010. In the case of a wide-spread epidemic, with thousands dying, another three per cent could be knocked off UK output. ·