Swine Flu
Swine flu is a respiratory illness caused by a new strain of the flu A virus named 'Pandemic (H1N1) 2009' by the World Health Organization. Transmission is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu. The infection can be effectively treated with antivirals. Most reported cases in the UK have been mild and people have recovered fully after treatment but the infection can be severe in a small minority of cases.
further information
- www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu
- Call NHS Direct on 0800 1 513 100 (or 0800 1 513 200 for Textphone users).
- Visit the Health Protection Agency
Latest information
National Pandemic Flu Service closes
From Thursday 11th February, the National Pandemic Flu Service (NPFS) is going to be closed down. From that date, anyone with flu-like symptoms should stay at home and ring their GP for advice and antiviral medication if needed.
In recent weeks there has continued to be a steady drop in the number of swine flu cases across the country, including in Surrey. This has led to the decision to stand down the NPFS.
The decision has been supported by key professional bodies, including the Royal College of General Practitioners, the British Medical Association, and appropriate pharmacy organisations.
Helen Atkinson, NHS Surrey's Associate Director of Public Health, said:
"The National Pandemic Flu Service has worked well to ensure patients have been able to access support quickly and easily. It allowed GPs to focus on those patients most in need when swine flu was at its peak.
"The number of people with swine flu continues to drop week on week and GPs are best placed to care for their patients with swine flu once again.
"It's good news that the number of cases is steadily dropping each week and that in the majority of cases, it has been a relatively mild illness."
Experts will continue to monitor the spread of the swine flu virus nationally and, if needed, the NPFS can be re-activated in seven days.
However Helen warned that although the threat from swine flu is greatly reduced, it has not gone away altogether.
"Swine flu is still around and sadly we know that it has been very serious for a small number of people. It's still vital that we vaccinate those most at risk from swine flu and so our focus is now on making sure everyone who is eligible for the vaccine has the opportunity to have it.
"I'd also like to remind people that good hygiene helps reduce the spread of germs and there’s no reason to let good habits slip now. Our advice to protect against flu, stomach bugs and other infections is to: wash your hands regularly with soap and water, keep surfaces clean and Catch it, bin it, kill it! This means covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing and disposing of used tissues quickly."
Anyone with concerns about swine flu should ring call the Swine Flu Information Line on 0800 1 513 513. Further information is also available on the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk
Our advice to you
The best way you can protect yourself and your family is to:
- wash your hands regularly - This will reduce the chance of transferring any type of infection
- Catch it, bin it, kill it - cover your nose and mouth when sneezing. Use a tissue and dispose of it immediately to kill any germs.
