Swine Flu News Update: A self-care national pandemic hotline opened today for people to call if they believe they are showing symptoms of swine flu.  The new service will give people with swine flu symptoms fast access to antivirals.

In the UK 840 people have been hospitalized with swine flu and 63 are in intensive care. Some 31 people have died in Britain from the virus, compared with only four in Spain and none in the rest of the European Union, but experts warn that the H1N1 flu wave now hitting Britain is likely to sweep through other countries soon.

In the past week 100,000 suspected new cases of the flu have been reported in Britain, the government said, nearly double the 55,000 suspected new cases in the previous week.

To assist in the crisis, the National Pandemic Flu Service has a dedicated website www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu and phoneline 0800 1 513 100 or 0800 1 513 200 Textphone for people to check their symptoms and get a unique number which will give them access to antivirals if necessary.

People who have swine flu symptoms will be given a unique access number and told where their nearest antiviral collection point is. They should then ask a flu friend – a friend or relative who doesn’t have swine flu – to go and pick up their antivirals.

Antiviral collection points on the Isle of Wight are:

• Boots the Chemist 124-126 High Street Newport; Boots the Chemist,170-172 High Street Ryde;
• Boots the Chemist, 200 Newport Road, Cowes;
• Lloyds Pharmacy 41-42 Pyle Street, Newport;
• Lloyds Pharmacy, 25 Ferry Road, East Cowes;
• Lloyds Pharmacy, Sandown Health Centre, Sandown;
• Lloyds Pharmacy, 30 High Street, Ventnor;
• Day Lewis Pharmacy, 7 High Street, Cowes;
• Day Lewis Pharmacy, 51 Regent Street, Shanklin;
• Siddy’s Pharmacy, 86-88 High Street, Newport;
• Tesco Pharmacy, Brading Road, Ryde;
• Regent Pharmacy, 59 Regent Street, Shanklin;
• Kemkay Pharmacy, 3 Clifton Buildings, Avenue Road, Freshwater;
• Brighstone Surgery, New Road, Brighstone;
• Godshill Surgery, 2 Yarborough Close, Godshill;
• Niton Surgery, Blackgang Road, Niton;
• Pharmacy (main entrance) University of Southampton Building, St Mary’s Hospital, Newport.

The flu friend must show their own ID as well as that of the patient. The authorisation number and ID information will be checked to ensure it matches the information provided when the assessment of symptoms was completed.

Anyone who suspects they have swine flu is advised not to go to their GP or A&E.

The National Pandemic Flu Service said people should contact their doctor directly if they:

• Have a serious underlying illness.
• Are pregnant.
• Have a sick child under one year old.
• The condition suddenly gets much worse.
• The condition is still getting worse after seven days for adults or five days for a child.

Andy Burnham who launched the National Pandemic Flu Service said:

“The National Pandemic Flu Service will give patients access to information and antivirals as quickly as possible. It will free up GPs so they can focus their efforts on helping those in at risk groups and patients with other illnesses.

“People can still speak to their GP if they are concerned. In fact – it is important to stress that people with underlying health conditions, pregnant women, and parents with children under the age of one should speak to their GP if they have symptoms.

“For the vast majority of people, swine flu has been mild. Some people find that they get better by staying in bed, drinking plenty of water and taking over the counter flu medication.”

Up to two thousand call operators will be trained for a minimum of three hours. Less experienced call operators will be trained for a day. Strict industry standard regulations are in place when employing staff. These include the right to work in the UK (therefore no illegal immigrants), satisfactory employment references and satisfactory character references.

Doctors from the Royal College of General Practitioners will have a special liaison role with each of these call centres and will feed back problems or concerns that arise during the operation of the service.

As swine flu spreads, it is important to be able to recognise its symptoms. People who have two of the following symptoms and a temperature of 38° C and above or feels hot may have swine flu.

The typical symptoms are:

•         sudden fever (a high body temperature of 38C/100.4F or above), and
•         sudden cough.

Other symptoms may include:

•         headache,
•         tiredness,
•         chills,
•         aching muscles,
•         limb or joint pain,
•         diarrhoea or stomach upset,
•         sore throat,
•         runny nose,
•         sneezing,
•         loss of appetite.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a flu-friend?
These are friends and neighbours who can help you if you become ill.  They can get any medication or food for you so that you don’t have to leave the house – this will help stop the virus from spreading.

What are antivirals?
Antivirals are drugs that kill or prevent the growth of viruses. They will only be prescribed to those who clinically need them. Your GP will discuss with you if you require antiviral treatment.

What do I do about work?
As with seasonal flu, employees need to act responsibility. If you have flu like symptoms stay at home and let your work place know. Follow the process above and contact your GP or NHS Direct if necessary. Only return to work once you have followed advice. You will need to stay at home whilst you feel ill, just like you would when you have seasonal flu.

For now, the distribution system is limited to England. Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have not seen as many cases of swine flu.

Please read Island Pulse related news:   Swine Flu Help & Advice