PRINCE CHARLES HAS ’FLU

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28399, 4 October 1957, Page 10

PRINCE CHARLES HAS ’FLU

Epidemic Spreads In Britain

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) LONDON, October 2. Prince Charles, the heir to the Throne, and the Foreign Secretary iMr Selwyn Lloyd) have joined the tens of thousands of Britons suffering from influenza. The eight-year-old Prince is confined to bed at Cheam Preparatory School. The attack, developed today and he is in a sick-room with four other boys under the care of the school doctor.

It is understood that Prince Charles will remain at the school, which Jie joined as a new boy nine days ago. The Queen and the Duke are being kept informed of Prince Charles’s condition. Also affected by the influenza epidemic is Princess Benedikte, the 13-year-old schoolgirl daughter of King Frederik of Denmark. She is in London having a holiday from lessons because of an outbreak of influenza at the girls school she attends at Benenden. Kent. Mr Selwyn Lloyd has cancelled his engagements for the next few days because of his illness. Services Cut The influenza epidemic continued to spread throughout Britain today. Bus services were cut at Nottingham, where 162 drivers and conductors were absent from work. The Air Ministry reported that considerable numbers of men were reporting ill with influenza each day. In the Royal Navy, however, the illness appeared to be dying out and no new cases were reported today. At Coventry, nearly half the city's 97 switchboard operators were away from work as well as 68 postmen. A Hampshire school closed down. The National Coal Board blamed influenza for the fact that absenteeism in British mines last week was the highest for a normal working week for more than 10 years. The epidemic appeared to be waning at Manchester. Although services were still cut, only 501 busmen were absent today, against 522 yesterday and 605 on Monday.

More Manchester children returned to school and there were fewer nurses off duty at the city’s hospitals. A report from The Hague says that every day about 70,000 Dutch people are catthing influenza.