A new strain of Influenza A (H1N1),
also known as swine flu, was confirmed in the UK in April and
has spread to more than 100 countries around the world.
Although symptoms have generally proved mild, a small number
of patients will develop more serious illness. Many of these
people have other underlying health conditions, such as heart
or lung disease, that put them at increased risk. Take
time to insure you are aware of the symptoms
Insure you are aware of the following symptoms relevant
to your health
• Health Symptoms
• Flu symptoms
• FEVER
• COUGH
• HEADACHE
• WEAKNESS AND FATIGUE
• ACHING MUSCLES AND JOINTS
• SORE THROAT
• RUNNY NOSE
Who is at risk?
Some groups of people are more at risk of serious illness if
they catch swine flu. It is vital that people in these higher
risk groups get anti-viral drugs and start taking them as soon
as possible – within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.
Health authorities are still learning about the swine flu virus,
but the following people are known to be at higher risk: do
you think you have swine flue?
• Pregnant women
• People aged 65 years and older
• Young children under five years old
• People suffering from the following illnesses are also
at increased risk:
• Chronic lung disease
• Chronic heart disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Chronic liver disease
• Chronic neurological disease
• Immunosuppression (whether caused by disease or treatment)
• Diabetes mellitus
• Patients who have had drug treatment for asthma within
the past three years
Health information if you think you have swine flu
If you think you have swine flu, check your symptoms online
using the NHS flu symptom checker or call the Swine Flu information
line on 0800 1 513 513.
If you still think you may have swine flu, call your local GP
- do not go to the GPs surgery or hospital in person. Are you
concerned about your health?
Concerned about your health - Contact your doctor
Your local GP will be able to tell you if you have swine flu
over the phone. How does the flu viruses spread If they say
you have swine flu they will give you a voucher number which
your Flu Friend (the person caring for you) can use to pick
up anti-viral drugs from the local collection centre. This may
be a local pharmacy or community centre.
If you are still concerned, you can call:
NHS Direct on 0845 4647 in England
NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24 in Scotland
NHS Direct Wales on 0845 4647 in Wales
0800 0514 142 in Northern Ireland
How the flu virus spreads
For information on how swine flu is
spread as well as how to prevent it and how it will be treated
visit the 'Swine flu - prevention and treatment'
page by following the link below
Preparation
A global pandemic has been declared.
To prepare:
Always carry tissues - catching the germs in a tissue could
help limit the spread of the virus
Know your NHS number (this will be in NHS letters or prescriptions)
Keep up to date with the latest help and advice available through
radio, TV and the internet – follow the links below for
more advice on Directgov
What is the prevention and treatment?
confirm your ‘flu friends’ - these are friends and
neighbours who can help you if you become ill; they could get
your medication or food for you so that you don’t have
to leave the house - this will help stop the virus from spreading.
Check the news about swine
flu.
Have a two-week stock of food and other supplies in case you
and your family are ill.
Prevention
and treatment
To reduce the risk of catching or spreading the virus you should:
Cover your mouth and nose when coughing and sneezing, using
a tissue
Throw the tissue away quickly and carefully
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water
Clean hard surfaces (like door handles and remote controls)
frequently with a normal cleaning product
Swine flu, like seasonal flu, is easily spread by the tiny droplets
in a cough or sneeze. By taking a few simple steps you can help
to reduce the risk of getting swine flu and to stop the virus
spreading.
If you think you may have swine flu, find out what you should
do
What is a epidemic
and a pandemic
What
is an epidemic and a pandemic?
An epidemic is a sudden outbreak of disease that spreads through
a single population or region in a short amount of time.
A pandemic occurs when there is a rapidly-spreading epidemic
of a disease that affects most countries and regions of the
world.
Swine flu is now a pandemic. Pandemic flu occurs when an influenza
virus emerges that is so different from previously circulating
strains that few, if any, people have any immunity to it. This
allows it to spread widely and rapidly, causing serious illness.
What is the difference between Ordinary flu and pandemic flu,
information about face masks
Ordinary flu and pandemic flu - the
differences
Ordinary flu:
Occurs every year during the winter
Affects 10 to 15 per cent of the UK population
Most people recover within 1 or 2 weeks without medical treatment
Can be identified in advance and a vaccine can be made (this
immunisation is known as the flu jab and helps protect people
from ordinary flu)
Pandemic flu:
Occurs during any season
Affects more people than ordinary flu (up to half the population)
is a more serious infection
People of all ages may be at risk of infection
A vaccine cannot be made because the virus strain has not been
identifed
Contact your doctor about swine flu
Antiviral medicine is stockpiled to treat people
Contact your doctor
Your local GP will be able to tell you if you have swine flu
over the phone.
If they say you have swine flu they will give you a voucher
number which your Flu Friend (the person caring for you) can
use to pick up anti-viral drugs from the local collection centre.
This may be a local pharmacy or community centre.
If you are still concerned, you can call:
NHS Direct on 0845 4647 in England
NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24 in Scotland
NHS Direct Wales on 0845 4647 in Wales
0800 0514 142 in Northern Ireland
Face masks
Although face masks have been given out in Mexico, there is
no actual evidence that proves wearing a face mask will stop
you getting the virus. It’s more effective to use tissues
when sneezing and coughing and wash your hands regularly.
Latest news
Follow the link below for the latest news on swine flu.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Swineflu/DG_177831
For further information please see
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Swineflu/DG_177831
Find a local GP
http://www.nhs.uk/servicedirectories/Pages/ServiceSearch.aspx?ServiceType=GP
Swine
flu and schools
With the outbreak of swine flu, or influenza A(H1N1), you may
be worried about the safety of your child. Follow these simple
tips to keep your child safe, and find out how you can help
your child’s school or childcare provider minimise the
risk
The school holidays
School holiday activities for children and young people should
continue as normal this summer but parents and the organisers
of activities should be alert.
Any child with flu-like symptoms should return home as soon
as possible, and should contact - but not visit - their GP and
seek treatment. Early-years, childcare and childminder arrangements
should also continue operating as normal during the holidays.
What can you do?
Help your child’s child minder, nursery, pre-school group,
school or out-of-school club by making sure they have up to
date contact details for you: your address, telephone numbers
(home, work and mobile) and email as appropriate.
They will need to get in touch with you if there is a case of
flu among the children, or they suspect the children may be
at risk.
Also make sure that your child: uses soap and water when washing
Should
schools be closing now?
At this time schools should be operating normally. If a pupil
is suspected of having a virus that might be swine flu –
even if the child is currently out of school – the school
should take advice from local public health advisers. Unless
they advise the school to close as a precautionary measure,
the school should stay open.
What
if it becomes a pandemic?
Despite the World Health Organisation (WHO) issuing a level
6 alert, the situation has not changed. Schools should still
remain open until they are advised to close: either by their
public health advisers for reasons specific to the school; or
if the government determines that the risk to children is such
that all schools should close when the pandemic reaches their
area
Why
is it important for schools and other services to close?
Influenza spreads rapidly in schools and other closed communities.
If schools and childcare settings close at the right time, it
could significantly reduce the spread of infection and the number
of children infected
How can you find out if your child’s
school is closing?
If possible, the school should contact you during the day to
advise you of the coming closure, so that you can start to make
plans. Otherwise you should be told when you collect your child
at the end of the day, or your child will be given a letter
to take home.
Will your child be able to learn
while the school is closed?
If schools are closed for an extended period, students should
be provided with some teaching and learning materials. If schools
operate an online learning environment they should use it to
set, distribute, receive and mark homework
Who decides if an independent
school should close?
It is for the proprietor or governing body of an independent
school to take any decision on closure, taking into account
advice from local health protection teams. If the government
were to advise all schools in an area to close, it would be
up to independent schools to decide whether to follow that advice.
In practice it is expected that independent schools will follow
the government's advice, and the Independent Schools Association
have advised their members to follow health advice
Reopening schools, early-years and childcare
settings after the holidays
Health authorities will be monitoring the spread of swine flu
closely over the summer. Schools and group early-years and childcare
settings should re-open as usual at the start of the autumn
term.
There may be times where local health authorities advise a later
re-opening date for some schools, for example if there is a
high rate of infection in a particular area. In general however
the vast majority of schools will return after the holidays
Travelling
from Mexico
If a pupil or a member of staff has come back from Mexico, they
should come into school if they have no symptoms, even if they
have been in contact with a suspected case (unless they have
been given specific advice not to attend school by a medical
practitioner).
Is it better for children to
catch swine flu now in order to build up their resilience to
potentially more harmful strains in the future?
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is still learning about this
strain of swine flu and who is most at risk of complications.
The HPA therefore strongly advises people to avoid intentionally
infecting themselves, or their children, with the virus for
their own safety and the safety of any vulnerable people they
may unintentionally infect
If pupils refuse to attend schools,
will they be punished for truancy?
If schools are open, parents should send their children to school
unless they have any symptoms. They will be advised if the school
is to close and what to do then. These decisions will be made
by health professionals with expert knowledge who will always
have the interests of pupils in mind. Parents are urged not
to withdraw their children unless given this advice. Local authorities
will decide on any action against parents keeping healthy children
off school.
Latest
News UK updates
National Pandemic Flu Service
The Department of Health announced today that it will soon launch
its National Pandemic Flu Service.
This service is made up of a website and call centres which
will quickly be able to tell members of the public whether they
have swine flu. If they do, they will be given an authorisation
number that a ‘flu friend’ – a friend or relative
who does not have swine flu – can use to pick up antivirals
from local antiviral collection points.
England - the service should be up and running in England from
the end of next week. Until then, if someone thinks they may
have swine flu, they should go online and check symptoms on
the NHS Choices website, or call the swine flu information line
on 0800 1 513 513. If they still think they have swine flu,
they should then call their GP
Scotland - people who are worried about flu-like symptoms should
continue to contact their GP or NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24
Wales - if symptoms are causing concern, or people are in an
at risk group such as those with heart and lung disease, children
under 5 or pregnant women, they should phone NHS Direct on 0845
46 47 or phone their GP
It is particularly important for people with chronic lung, kidney
or heart disease, under fives, over 65s and pregnant women to
use the new service as soon as they have symptoms and to keep
in touch with their GP. Parents with children under one year
should call their GP if their child has symptoms as soon as
possible.
Case numbers
The Health Protection Agency, in its weekly flu update, estimates
that there were 55,000 new cases of swine flu last week. The
majority of cases continue to be mild but there have been 26
deaths in England and three in Scotland. THe HPA points out
that the figure represents the number of deaths in individuals
with swine flu; it does not represent the number of deaths that
can be attributed to swine flu. The under-5s and 5-14 year olds
are the age groups predominantly affected.
Case numbers
The Health Protection Agency, in its weekly flu update, estimates
that there were 55,000 new cases of swine flu last week. The
majority of cases continue to be mild but there have been 26
deaths in England and three in Scotland. THe HPA points out
that the figure represents the number of deaths in individuals
with swine flu; it does not represent the number of deaths that
can be attributed to swine flu. The under-5s and 5-14 year olds
are the age groups predominantly affected.