SWINE INFLUENZA BAA POSITION

BAA Aberdeen has been liaising closely with the three helicopter operators,
Bristow Helicopters, CHC Scotia, and Bond Offshore Helicopters over the
emerging situation around Swine Influenza.

This document is intended to outline the position of BAA and to share what we
believe to be current best practice in the hope that the helicopter companies
operating from Aberdeen Airport align themselves with this position and
accept this as guidance.

It is vital in times of an imminent pandemic that our message to staff,

passengers and stakeholders is clear and that we are taking similar
precautions.

The World Health Organisation decision to change the alert to PHASE 5 means that
there have been recorded cases of human to human transmission in at least two
countries in one region.

This has not fundamentally changed the response of BAA Aberdeen.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that countries do not close
borders and do not restrict international travel as this has "very little effect in stopping
the movement of the virus".

BAA Aberdeen Position

As an airport operator, our position is that we continue to refer back to the official
advice and guidance issued by the WHO and HPA which, at the moment, stresses
the importance of:

Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue
when possible and disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully

Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing hands frequently with
soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or
to other people

Cleaning hard surfaces (e.g. door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning
product

Aberdeen has no direct services to and from Mexico. Nevertheless the HPA is
advising on protocol for dealing with incoming flights from affected areas and should
airline crew request attendance, Port Health will screen incoming flights.

At this stage the HPA guidance is that people employed at the airport do not need to
take any additional precautions, beyond usual good hygiene practices. However, we
will continue to closely monitor the situation to ensure that everyone is informed if
that advice changes.

The Department for Transport has initiated a poster and leaflet campaign for persons
arriving from affected areas. Distribution of this information is being undertaken by
UK Border Agency personnel, stationed at airports.

Five people in the UK are now confirmed as having contracted the virus, all of whom
have recently visited Mexico. The UK government's chief medical officer Sir Liam
Donaldson said: "All these cases have been imported from Mexico. We have not
seen any sign of onward transmission within the UK."

Structured Communications

BAA has initiated a programme of structured communications for staff and airport
stakeholders. These briefings, in the form of Airwaves Direct and briefings from BAA
Media and Communications are being shared with all airport stakeholders.

COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What are the symptoms of swine influenza?

The symptoms of swine influenza in people are similar to the symptoms of regular
human seasonal influenza and include fever, fatigue, lack of appetite, coughing and
sore throat. Some people with swine flu have also reported vomiting and diarrhoea.

Is treatment available?

Testing has shown that swine influenza can be treated with the antivirals oseltamavir
(Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). Most of the previously reported swine influenza
cases recovered fully from the disease without requiring medical attention and
without antiviral medicines.

What are Antivirals?

Antiviral drugs are special medicines for the treatment of certain viral infections.
Treatment with antiviral drugs cannot prevent you from getting infected, but they can
be expected to shorten the duration of the disease, alleviate symptoms and reduce
complications and serious illness. There are sufficient UK stockpiles controlled by the
NHS and if you did become infected they would be prescribed to you by your doctor.

Why can't airport workers be provided with flu vaccinations?

It is unclear how effective currently available flu vaccines would be at offering

protection against the new strain, as it is genetically distinct from other flu strains. A
new bespoke vaccine is being worked on by scientists in the UK and the US, but it
may take months to perfect it, and manufacture enough supplies.

UK public health policy is to immunise 'at risk' categories of people first, such as
those with chronic lung conditions.

What measures can I take to prevent infection?

As indicated above, general infection control practices and good respiratory hand
hygiene can help to reduce transmission of all viruses. This includes:

Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, and using a
tissue when possible and disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully

Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing hands frequently with
soap and water or using alcohol based hand cleanser to reduce the spread of
the virus from your hands to face or to other people

Cleaning hard surfaces frequently, such as door handles, using a normal

cleaning product.

Should I be wearing a mask?

The wearing of face masks by healthy individuals who are not involved in caring for
people who are ill is not recommended by the HPA. They advise that masks are not
an effective preventative measure for most people. In addition, there are a range of
practical issues that may need to be considered:

Wearing a face mask might discourage people from carrying out good hand
hygiene i.e. frequent hand washing with soap and water or an alcohol based
hand cleanser. We know that good hand hygiene can reduce the spread of
respiratory viruses like flu

People might wear a face mask to conceal respiratory symptoms rather than
stay at home

It will be difficult to provide general advice on how to wear masks and, if they
are not worn properly they may not provide any protection

Face masks must be disposed of properly if they are not to pose a risk to
other people

Wearing of masks at this stage could result in unnecessary agitation for those
travelling

How should I treat passengers who have been on a flight from Mexico?

Aberdeen has no direct flights to or from Mexico. There is no need to treat

passengers any differently or take any additional precautions beyond usual good
hygiene practices. The Port Health Authority is responsible for managing the
screening of passengers returning from countries affected by swine flu and can
provide further advice to airlines or airport operators.

What should I do if I think Ive got it?

Seek medical advice:

Contact NHS Direct on 0845 4647, NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24. Alternatively contact
your GP, look at the information on the Health Protection Agency website, and report
your absence in the usual way and stay at home until you recover.

We appreciate that circumstances may change quite quickly. For further information
about human swine influenza, including frequently asked questions, please go to
www.who.int