Monday 27 April 2009

Swine Influenza

A number of cases of influenza A Virus (H1N1) have been confirmed in Mexico and the United States.  In the UK, two people have been admitted to a Scottish hospital for precautionary assessment, after returning from Mexico. There are no suspected cases reported in Bournemouth, Dorset or Poole.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is monitoring this situation closely and is working with international partners and the UK government to review the current incident and any threat it poses to UK public health.

It is too early to make a complete assessment of the health implications of this new virus or if it could represent the appearance of a potential pandemic strain of influenza virus. In the meantime, the Government has stepped up surveillance arrangements and is actively considering its response in the UK should further action be required. The UK was one of the first countries to have a flu pandemic contingency plan in place.

The Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole Local Resilience Forum – which is made up of all the emergency services, hospitals and local authorities – has been working to produce a coordinated pandemic flu plan. This plan sets out how all agencies across Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole will work together in the event of an outbreak of pandemic flu and identifies a whole range of measures in place to protect the population, reduce the impact on health, safeguard essential services and minimise social disruption.

Further information on swine influenza is available from the HPA website: www.hpa.org.uk and the World Health Organisation website: http://www.who.int/en/

Testing has shown that the human swine influenza H1N1 can be treated with the antiviral oseltamavir (Tamiflu®) and zanamivir (Relenza®).

Information for the public

People returning from affected areas who become unwell should rest at home and avoid contact with others to prevent the potential spread of infection. It is important that these people seek medical advice by calling their GP or NHS Direct on 0845 46 47. They should not attend their GP surgery, minor injuries unit or A&E department without telephoning for medical advice first.

Although there is no current identified risk to the health of people in Dorset, the NHS is advising people to adopt good hygiene practice as normal, in line with the Government’s current ‘Catch It, Bin It, Kill It’ campaign:

• Cover your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible.

• Dispose of dirty tissues promptly and carefully.

• Maintain 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.

• Clean hard surfaces (eg door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product.

• Make sure your children follow this advice.