DELAYS in the release of information about Oxfordshire’s first confirmed case of swine flu have provoked accusations of secrecy against local health officials.

News that a six-year-old Oxford girl had potentially become ill with swine flu was initially kept even from parents with children at the same school.

But Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust’s whole public information policy is today under scrutiny amid fears that its policy of silence caused unnecessary concern about swine flu in the county.

It took almost a week before news was released that the girl was being treated for the illness after returning from a family holiday in Mexico.

The child attended lessons at Sandhills Community Primary School, in Terrett Avenue, on April 24, falling ill the following day. The girl has made a good recovery and is preparing to return to school.

Local councillors condemned the way the case was handled and called for greater honesty and respect for the public.

But the PCT yesterday did little to allay further criticism when it appeared to give contradictory answers to questions put by The Oxford Times, which was seeking to establish exactly how long the PCT waited before letting the public know that swine flu had struck in Oxfordshire.

Asked when it had been confirmed that the girl had swine flu, the PCT said Saturday, May 2. But in reply to another submitted question it said the school and county council were informed that someone from the school had been found to be a confirmed case on the Friday afternoon.

The PCT yesterday defended its continued decision not to formally name the school, saying this was done to avoid the child being identified. Asked what its policy was on releasing information it said it would “not be giving a running commentary on suspected cases of swine flu in the area”.

But in the face of mounting public anger Oxfordshire County Council yesterday confirmed that it is to meet with health bodies to review present policies on the release of information about swine flu.

Local county councillor Roz Smith said the matter had been “badly mishandled” by the health authority and Oxfordshire County Council, the local education authority.

She said: “If I were a parent, grandparent or staff member I would have liked more openness. The council and the PCT got it wrong, causing more anxiety than there needed to be.”

She said parents had been initially informed in a school bulletin last Friday that a health organisation was working with the girl’s family but she said that it reported “it isn’t the strain currently in the news”. A letter later followed saying that it was, in fact, swine flu.

City councillor for Barton and Sandhills Patrick Murray said: “You must respect local people enough to trust them with information. If you do not put out up-to-date information, you can create unnecessary panic.

“People at the school certainly had the right to know and so did the staff.”

Oxford East MP Andrew Smith said: “Given the girl concerned had been at school, it would have been wise to name the school earlier. With something like this, there is always going to be rumour and anxiety, and I think it is best to give people the facts, while, of course, protecting patient confidentiality.”

One mother, who declined to be named, expressed her anger at the delays. She said: “There are a lot of angry parents at the moment. But nobody told us anything until Friday. That is just not acceptable.”

The leader of Oxfordshire County Council, Keith Mitchell, said the council would be reviewing the existing swine flu policy with the PCT and the Thames Valley Health Protection Unit.

He said. “It is a fine judgment between publishing early information that might not be 100 per cent verified, trying to meet the desire of parents to know, and getting it right.”