Swine Flu
following my last post where i misrepresented the evidence i will try to do better on swine flu.There is a lot of uncetainty, opinion (and fear)around about swine flu. We serve 6000ish patients and are getting about 15 swine flu related queries each day of which about 5 have any chance of being the real deal.Here are a few pointers.-It is around in the community. (we are no longer swabbing individual cases but when we were, we had some specific confirmations of H1N1 infection)-Probable cases, AND those who are worried and just want to talk to their doctor about it, are rising rapidly.-It currently behaves like normal flu. (ie. It is not essentially a severe illness, some people will 'carry' the infection with a milder illness and others will suffer the full blown syndrome)-If you think you might have swine flu then i offer the LMC's advice; Measure your temperature with a thermometer. If below 38, you can handle this flu at home. For most people it gets better in a few days with normal flu remedies from the supermarket or pharmacy. You will not need Tamiflu.-If you do have a high temperature of 38 or above, and particularly if you are young, pregnant or suffering from an underlying illness, you should call and we will assess you further to decide what the best course of treatment is in your particular case. -A vaccine for the vulnerable is coming soon (so we are told) so if you are in this category then try to avoid catching the infection until this is available. The advice i have had from public health on this is that spending over one hour within one metre is required for airborne transmission. However another mechanism is hand to mouth and frequent handwashing (>10 times per day) has been shown to reduce transmission for the seriously obsessed.-if you do get a feverish infection it could be swine flu even if you yourself are not too ill. please dont bother your doctor unless you are personally unwell but do spare a thought for anyone vulnerable around you. delaying a planned visit to a vulnerable person until you are better (or are certain you have not just caught this from someone else) may make all the difference for them.-if you know your neighbour has come down with the infection then you may want to help them with shopping etc. to avoid unnecessary exposure to others in the community, you never know it might be their turn to help you in a few weeks.-the main difference between h1n1 and other flu is that until late last year noone in the world had ever been infected and therefore noone has natural immunity. Usually with strains of flu they travel around the world slowly changing and causing mini outbreaks wherever they can find pockets of immunologically naive individuals. Each winter when everyone huddles closer together a significant proportion have had any given strain sometime in the past and so not everyone gets it and those who do might have been exposed to something similar and therefore have partial protection. we are also able to vaccinate the vulnerable against each years likely suspects which further reduces the pool of susceptible individuals. with h1n1 i'm told 50%+ of our population will catch it and probably over the next year as well. the only question is when, how severely, and (for the vulnerable) whether this will be before a vaccine is available.-you might think of having a flu party to get it over with, but actually there is considerable benefit in delaying the inevitable. Just think of your own small office/household and the difference is obvious between everyone getting it at once or spreading those disruptions over 2 months.i hope this helps, time allowing i may respond to further posts. i will definitely try to post again when i have more firm details on when this vaccine is available for the vulnerable.Richard (Dr Baxter)
Richard Baxter ● 6162d0 Comments