Six people being tested for swine flu

A further two people were being tested in this country today for possible swine flu.

The results of samples from four others already analysed at the national laboratory in Dublin will be announced by health chiefs this evening.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) said the initial four had recently returned from Mexico and America and contacted doctors as a precaution.

Officials expect many more holidaymakers to come forward in the coming days and weeks to be tested for the virus, which has been responsible for dozens of deaths in Mexico.

A HSE spokeswoman said: “People are just erring on the cautious side because they have come back from a country that may be affected and are a bit sniffly.

“They are ruling themselves out rather than in.”

The first British cases of the killer flu were confirmed in Scotland last night.

Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin and the North's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness said health officials in both jurisdictions were working closely together.

At the North-South Ministerial Council meeting in Dublin, Mr Martin said: “There is very strong co-ordination between the two jurisdictions.”

He added the deputy chief medical officers on both sides of the border were in close contact to ensure consistency in travel advisories.

Mr Martin also said a meeting of health ministers at the EU would take place on Thursday to get a European-wide approach to travel advisories.

Mr McGuinness said officials north and south had to work together to safeguard the health of the public.

He added that the North's Health Minister Michael McGimpsey was in constant contact with Health Minister Mary Harney.

“We have to keep our guard up and I believe that the health authorities on this island are working very closely together at the moment, will continue to work to ensure the safety of everyone who lives on this island,” he said.