British troops quarantined after being held on flu jets

A total of 176 Royal Marines on a military flight were held overnight in quarantine, it was revealed this afternoon.

The men, who had recently undergone training in Mexico, were taken from Brunei International Airport on buses shortly after their flight from the UK touched down. Health officials who escorted them to a hotel wore masks.

Three of the men were treated in a hospital isolation unit after they were found to have body temperature slightly above normal.

The 40 Commando Marines, based in Plymouth, were all allowed out today. It is believed the soldiers were travelling to a jungle warfare training camp when they were stopped. A second flight carrying 96 soldiers was also held at the airport but none of the soldiers was quarantined.

Meanwhile, a nursery has joined three London schools which have been forced to close amid fears that swine flu is spreading among children.

Private schools are being urged to set up quarantine rooms to isolate pupils suspected of having the virus.

Parents could be forced to disclose their children's medical conditions to teachers under emergency measures designed to contain the outbreak.

Legal advice issued to more than 1,200 independent schools said parents should be required to agree to quarantine procedures if their children begin to show flu symptoms.

The advice, drawn up by lawyers Veale Wasbrough for the Independent Schools Council, warned that parents should not receive fee refunds if schools are forced to close. Headteachers should ensure their school medical rooms are "well stocked and prepared for pupils with the symptoms of flu".

"Consider whether extra space will be required for effective quarantine of suspected victims and make the necessary plans or preparations," the guidance said. "Schools should ensure that the terms and conditions of the parent contract contain an obligation on parents to comply with its rules on the quarantine of pupils and the disclosure of medical information to the school."

The guidance came as a cluster of private schools in Dulwich were put on high alert amid fears that swine flu is beginning to spread through the capital's schoolchildren. A third London school and a nursery were forced to close today. Dolphin School and Noah's Ark Nursery in Clapham, Alleyn's School in Dulwich and South Hampstead High School have all shut following outbreaks. Experts said an 11-year-old girl who attends Alleyn's and infected her two sisters is at the centre of the outbreak, Britain's worst so far.

Five of the girl's classmates at the £13,000-a-year Alleyn's School were confirmed infected yesterday — the largest single jump in cases since the virus arrived in the UK.

But today it was confirmed the virus had spread to south-west London after the £8,000-a-year Dolphin School and Noah's Ark Nursery in Clapham five miles away, attended by the 11-year-old's younger siblings, was closed "as a precaution", according to governors.

The move raises fears that further schools will be affected as the virus is transmitted between siblings. The 11-year-old girl caught the illness following a trip to America at Easter and although her younger siblings did not travel with her, Wandsworth Primary Care Trust today confirmed the children had caught the H1N1 virus.

The Health Protection Agency said although the Dolphin School had closed they would not be prescribing Tamiflu as the children had not displayed any symptoms while at school. At Alleyn's, nurses last night handed out Tamiflu to all 1,300 staff and pupils after the HPA confirmed that five Year 7 pupils had the infection. The school will be shut for at least a week and A-level and GCSE exams are now under threat.

Classrooms at £11,000-a-year South Hampstead High School have also been closed until at least Thursday after a 14-year-old girl from Barnet was diagnosed with the virus.

There are now 23 cases in England and four in Scotland, with 13 people infected in London. Another 331 people are also under test for the virus.

Last weekend dozens of teenagers from Alleyn's gathered for a party. The HPA recommended the leavers ball be cancelled. However, it is believed it went ahead disguised as a private party, with attendees told not to speak to the press.

Parents today said giving out Tamiflu was unlikely to work as many pupils had siblings at a number of schools in the area, including Dulwich College, James Allen's Girls' School (Jags), James Allen's Preparatory School, and the state primary Dulwich Hamlet.

Former nurse Sophie Stutter, 50, who has a son in Year 8 at Alleyn's, said: "I also have a son at the College and a daughter at Jags, and there's lots of families who have that arrangement. Now it's just a question of who goes down next."