Swine Flu
All Parish Councils are being asked to consider putting in place an emergency plan to lessen the impact should the village succumb to Swine Flu en masse. We have looked at a very detailed plan drawn up for a much larger village and have selected just a few of the points that we feel we should be putting in place for Upton.
We are well aware that this village is well blest with people prepared to help others and therefore we do urge all of you who are likely to need medication or other essentials during the time that you may be unwell to seek out a ‘Flu Buddy’ who will do their best to keep you provided with your essential needs. The problem will come if your flu buddy is also unwell so we are setting up a back up service in which you can ring Maggie Maytham (850126) or Clare Lightfoot (850486) for help. Maggie and Clare will enlist a small team of helpers who as a minimum will provide you with a sandwich and a hot drink to keep you going.
There could also be two significant problems if all the adult members of a household are unwell at the same time.
There may be healthy under fives in the household who will need attention. We are hoping that in such an emergency the Tiddlewinks network of mums (contact Katie 851330) will help one another where they can but obviously this is a service we cannot guarantee as it will almost certainly mean taking the bug into another household where there are other young children.
We must not forget the dogs who will still need to be walked even if you cannot get out of the house. I am setting up a small team of walkers and will arrange for someone to call round to provide that necessary service (contact Mike 850135).
If you think there are other areas where we should be taking action I will be pleased to hear your suggestions but hopefully the bug will quickly pass through this area and that it will not cause any of us a serious problem. So far I understand there have been 7 cases in Upton, it is expected to peak early in September.
Mike Brown 850135