Swine Flu

Swine Flu Update - 21 July 2009

Swine flu has been confirmed in a number of cases across the UK, including the East Midlands. Cases have also been confirmed in over 40 other countries. Swine flu is proven to be spreading from human to human, which could lead to a pandemic flu outbreak. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is constantly monitoring the situation globally to see whether the virus develops into a pandemic.

The advice from the Food Standards Agency is that Swine Flu viruses are not transmitted by food. It is safe to eat properly handled and cooked pork and pork products.

The government had launched the Swine Flu Information Line to the public: 0800 1 513 513 and has distributed information leaflets to all residential properties.

The best way to prevent the spread of any infection is to follow the guidance below...

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.
Clean hard services frequently using a normal cleaning product.
Make sure others follow this advice.

CATCH IT. BIN IT. KILL IT. is a simple way to remember this.

What is Swine Flu?

Swine flu is a form of influenza that originated in pigs but can be caught by, and spread among people.

Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Outbreaks of swine flu happen regularly in pigs. People do not normally get swine influenza, though infections do sometimes happen. In the recent past, most human cases of swine influenza have been in people who were in close contact with pigs, such as farmers. In the current outbreak the virus has been spread by person-to-person contact.

This has given rise to concern that the outbreak could become a pandemic flu - a global or world-wide outbreak of flu that spreads quickly because it is a new type of virus that few, if any, people have resistance to. A flu pandemic is a natural event that occurs from time to time. Last century, there were flu pandemics in 1918, 1957 and 1968, when millions of people were affected.

Is a flu pandemic (world-wide outbreak) imminent?

A pandemic could happen any time, but we cannot predict exactly when it would start. The current swine flu virus could lead to a pandemic. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is closely monitoring cases of this new flu virus. The WHO has defined the stages of the progression of a pandemic. We are currently at Phase Five of six phases (a pandemic is confirmed at Phase Six).

What can we do?

The single most effective way to stop or slow the spread of diseases such as swine flu is to prevent the spread of germs. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water and cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze. Preventing the spread of germs is the single most effective way to slow the spread of diseases like swine flu and indeed any type of flu type germ.

You can protect yourself and your family by:

ensuring everyone washes their hands regularly with soap and water
cleaning surfaces regularly.

You can prevent a virus spreading to others by:

always carrying tissues
using tissues to cover your mouth and nose when you cough and sneeze
binning the tissues as soon as possible
washing your hands regularly.

CATCH IT. BIN IT. KILL IT. is a simple way to remember this.

More information can be found at: