Swine flu fears hit Irvine pensioners' outing

Jun 12 2009 by John Woods, Irvine Herald

WORRIED Irvine pensioners have cancelled their annual summer outings to Dunoon after an outbreak of swine flu in the area.

Dunoon, which relies heavily on tourists and day trippers for its main source of income, has been labelled the “swine flu capital of Scotland” with more than half of the 119 people affected by the virus coming from the Argyllshire town or the surrounding area.

Last Thursday health authorities confirmed 31 new cases of the virus in Scotland. A staggering 21 of the new cases were connected to Dunoon which now has a cluster of 67 cases – the biggest in Scotland.

And now those planning to go on the Third Ward’s trips to Dunoon next month have said “enough is enough” and are planning to go to Oban instead.

“The vast majority of those going on the trips are senior citizens and we simply cannot expose them to the risk of catching the virus,” said Sally Rogers, caretaker at Castlepark Community Centre.

“A number of OAPs had already phoned us to express their concerns and once the severity of the outbreak in the Dunoon area became apparent we had no hesitation in changing the destination.

“The trips will still go ahead on Wednesday, July 1, and Wednesday, July 8, as planned, but we’ll be going to Oban instead and I’m sure everybody will still have a great time.”

Sally has pointed out that there are still some spaces available on the July 1 trip and anyone who wishes to go along on that day or who wants to cancel their booking on either trip can do so by contacting the centre on 01294 311238.