LABOUR’S hopeful to become Colchester’s next MP has been diagnosed with swine flu.

Jordan Newell, 25, of Bergholt Road, is recovering at home after being found to have a “mild case” of the virus.

He said he believed he had picked up the virus while commuting to work at Volunteering England, based in Kings Cross, London.

He said: “It was only a mild case and I don’t feel too bad.”

Some pupils at St Helena School have also been diagnosed with swine flu.

Deputy headteacher Alison Huard said: “A small number of pupils from different years within the school have been diagnosed with swine flu.

“We have sent a letter home to parents, and are advising people to follow the advice from the local primary care trust and the Health Protection Agency.

“We are being supportive, but are encouraging children if they are not showing symptoms to attend school.”

“The only exceptions, and they are very small, are where an immediate family member has serious health problems which could be exacerbated by swine flu.”

So far no teachers have been diagnosed with the illness.

The country has moved from the containment phase, and schools are no longer advised to close when they receive reports of the illness.

NHS North East Essex is no longer keeping a record of the number of cases in Colchester, with the number predicted to rise over the coming weeks.

Mike Gogarty, director of public health for NHS North East Essex, said: “We have been predicting and expecting the number of swine flu cases locally to escalate and this is what we are now experiencing.”