THE first person to be diagnosed with swine flu in the district said he developed symptoms after returning home from a business trip to America.

The man, in his 30s, from North Weald, initially had a cough, then a fever and a headache which he described as a "very mild form of flu."

He spent the day in bed and said he would have returned to work if he had not been diagnosed with the H1N1 virus.

"It's pretty mild as flu goes," he said.

"I would only have stayed at home for a day or so. It's only because it's swine flu that I am still at home."

He has responded well to anti-viral drug Tamiflu and planned to return to work next week.

At the time of writing, there were 39 confirmed cases of swine flu in the United Kingdom.

Anyone concerned they may have the virus is asked to call their GP or NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or visit the website nhs.uk.