Do you have any questions regarding the swine flu virus? Read the answers to the most frequently asked questions below.
UTV Live Tonight asked Chief nursing officer Martin Bradley and Deputy Chief Medical officer Dr Elizabeth Mitchell to answer as many of YOUR questions as possible about the pandemic and the newly launched vaccination programme. Watch their answers...
Basics
What are the symptoms of swine flu?
The symptoms of swine flu are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular seasonal flu. People with swine flu typically have a fever or high temperature (over 38°C/100.4°F) and two or more of the following symptoms:
- unusual tiredness
- headache
- runny nose
- sore throat
- shortness of breath or cough
- loss of appetite
- aching muscles
- diarrhoea or vomiting
How long are symptoms expected to last?
As with any sort of flu, how bad the symptoms are and how long they last will vary depending on treatment and individual circumstances. Most cases reported in the UK to date have been relatively mild, with affected people starting to recover within a week.
What if I don't recover within a week?
If your symptoms don't improve after seven days (or five days if you are under 16), contact your local GP surgery or your local out-of-hours service.
Can swine flu be treated?
Testing has shown that the swine flu can be treated with the antiviral medicines oseltamavir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). However, the drugs must be taken at or near the start of the illness to be effective. See Treatment for more information.
The UK already has enough antivirals to treat half the population. Orders of Tamiflu have been placed to increase UK supplies to 50 million doses, enough to treat 80% of the population.
What documents are needed to be able to collect the antivirals?
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.
Acceptable forms of ID are:
- a utility bill
- passport
- a credit or debit card
- driving licence, or
- NHS card
Vaccination
Who will be a priority for vaccination with the H1N1 swine flu vaccine?
People who are most at risk from swine flu need to be vaccinated first. These groups are, in order of priority:
- People aged between six months and 65 years in the seasonal flu vaccine at-risk groups.
- All pregnant women.
- People who live with those whose immune systems are compromised, such as cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS.
- People aged 65 and over in the seasonal flu vaccine at-risk groups.
Frontline health and social care workers will also be offered the vaccine at the same time as the first clinical at-risk groups. Health and social care workers are both at an increased risk of catching swine flu and of spreading it to other at-risk patients.
When will everyone else who isn't in a priority group receive the vaccine?
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that the use of the vaccine in the wider healthy population should depend on how the pandemic evolves and on emerging clinical data on the use of the vaccine. This will be kept under review. The government will not announce further groups until they have further advice from the JCVI on this issue.
Will the vaccine give me swine flu?
No. The vaccine does not carry a 'live' virus, so it cannot give you swine flu. Some people may experience mild fever up to 48 hours after immunisation as their immune system responds to the vaccine, but this is not flu.
Is the vaccine safe?
Vaccines would not be licensed if they were considered unsafe. Both swine flu vaccines have been licensed.
How will vaccine safety be monitored?
As with any new vaccine, rare and very rare side effects cannot be identified or excluded until the vaccines are used in much larger numbers of people in the general population. Therefore, effective safety monitoring systems for all medicines, including vaccines, are in place to detect and evaluate previously unobserved adverse reactions.
Can the swine flu vaccine be given at the same time as other vaccines?
Yes. The swine flu vaccine can be given at the same time as other vaccines, including the seasonal flu jab.
Is there a link between Guillain-Barre syndrome and swine flu vaccines?
Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS), a rare neurological disorder, was an identified risk with swine flu vaccines used in the United States in 1976 - it is thought that one extra case of GBS occurred with every 100,000 doses of vaccine. The reason why the 1976 vaccine increased the risk of GBS remains unknown.
Many studies have looked at whether other flu vaccines used since 1976 carry a risk of GBS and no robust evidence of a causal link has been found. No cases of GBS have been found in the clinical trials of H5N1 vaccines.
Is the vaccine safe for people with an egg allergy?
The GlaxoSmithKline vaccine (Pandemrix) is not suitable for people who have an anaphylactic reaction (allergic reaction) to egg.
The Baxter vaccine (Celvapan) does not use eggs in its production and so would be suitable for people who have a confirmed anaphylactic reaction to egg products.
Pregnancy and children
Are pregnant women more likely to catch swine flu?
Yes. Pregnant women are more susceptible to all infections, because their immune system is naturally suppressed in pregnancy. They are especially vulnerable to swine flu, as this virus is affecting younger age groups in particular.
Is the vaccine safe for pregnant women?
Yes. The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency has given a clear recommendation that the GlaxoSmithKline vaccine can be given safely to pregnant women. This has now been ratified by the European Commission in the marketing authorisation given to the GSK vaccine.
Can I take antiviral drugs if I am pregnant?
Yes, on the advice of a doctor. The Department of Health has bought Relenza, an inhaled antiviral drug that treats flu and minimises any potential effect on the developing foetus. It is unlikely that Relenza will affect your pregnancy or your growing baby.
However, if your doctor or midwife thinks that a different medicine is needed (for instance, if you have unusually severe flu), you will be given Tamiflu instead.
The risk of antiviral treatment during pregnancy has been reviewed and proven to be extremely small. It is much smaller than the risk posed by the symptoms of swine flu.
How can I tell if my child has swine flu?
Call your GP immediately if your child has any of the following symptoms and a temperature of 38°C or above or feels hot:
- tiredness
- headache,
- runny nose and sneezing,
- sore throat,
- shortness of breath,
- loss of appetite,
- vomiting,
- diarrhoea, or
- aching muscles, limb and joint pain.
- If you are worried about your child, always call your GP for advice.
One thing you can do right now is to make sure you have a digital thermometer to take your child's temperature with.
If my child has swine flu, what should I do?
If your GP confirms that your child has swine flu, keep them at home and treat their symptoms like any other cold or flu. Make sure they drink plenty of liquids, get lots of rest and take over-the-counter cold and flu remedies to help control their temperature. However, children under 16 must not be given aspirin or ready-made flu remedies containing aspirin.
Your GP will tell you whether your child should also take antiviral drugs. Antivirals such as Tamiflu shorten the symptoms by about a day and can reduce the risk of complications. Antivirals are only effective if taken within 48 hours of symptoms starting. If you are worried about your child, call your GP immediately.
However, antivirals can also have side effects. If your child's swine flu symptoms are mild, you may not wish to give them antivirals. Your GP can advise you on this.
Caring for yourself at home
How much contact should I have with family and friends?
If you have swine flu, avoid unnecessary contact with family and friends while you are infectious, which is usually until five days after your symptoms started (seven days in children). Once your symptoms have gone, you are no longer infectious.
Keep one metre or more away from people's faces to avoid droplets from your throat affecting others. Where possible, you can avoid exposing your partner to infection by sleeping in the spare room.
Should I go out?
The National Pandemic Flu Service is a new online service that gives you self-care advice and antiviral medication if you need it without going to your GP.
If you feel up to it, you may want to get some fresh air. Do not go on public transport, stay in crowded places or visit your GP or hospital when you have swine flu symptoms, as you may infect other people with the virus.
If you suddenly get much worse, seek medical advice immediately.
Travel and holidays
We are about to go on holiday. What should we do?
Wherever you go on holiday, always take the same precautions that you do when at home. Know where you can get medical advice if you or your family feel unwell, and have over-the-counter medication handy for coughs and sneezes.
If you are on holiday in the UK and you feel unwell, you can contact the local GP surgery or call the National Pandemic Flu Service helpline on 0800 151 3100.
If you are travelling to Europe, get a free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) before you go. This entitles you to any necessary medical treatment, including treatment for swine flu, during a visit to another European Economic Area country. You can get an EHIC application form from the Post Office or by calling 0845 606 2030. You can also apply online.
If you have swine flu, don't travel until after your symptoms have stopped.
Whenever you go abroad, always check the latest travel advice from the Foreign Office: www.fco.gov.uk
What should I do if I become ill on holiday or on the flight home?
Find out in advance where you can get medical advice if you or your family feel unwell on holiday. Have over-the-counter medication for flu with you, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. Remember that children should not take aspirin.
If you are travelling to Europe, get a free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This entitles you to any necessary medical treatment, including treatment for swine flu, during a visit to another European Economic Area country. You can get an EHIC application form from the post office, by calling 0845 606 2030, or by applying online.
If you have flu-like symptoms, keep away from public places to avoid spreading it. Then contact a doctor or other health professional and tell them your symptoms.
If you become ill on your flight home, alert the cabin crew to your symptoms. There are procedures in place for dealing with passengers who become unwell on flights, and the airline will advise port health officials on the ground that a passenger requires a health assessment and may need treatment.
To access the Department of Health Swine Flu Information line when abroad, call 00 44 207 928 1010.
Swine flu: Numbers
108 - There have been over 100 swine flu-related deaths across the UK, with 83 deaths in England, 16 in Scotland, four in Wales and ten in Northern Ireland.
37,000 - The number of people estimated to have contracted the virus so far in the UK.
4,735 - As of October 11, there were 4,735 swine flu-related deaths reported worldwide to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
400,000 - Over the same period there have been around 400,000 confirmed cases of swine flu, the WHO states.
40 - The worldwide swine flu outbreak is officially the first flu pandemic for 40 years.
50 million - The estimated number of swine flu vaccination doses expected to be administered UK-wide by the end of the year.
2 million - Around two million frontline health and social care workers are to be offered the vaccine.
24 - The swine flu virus can live on a hard surface such as door handles and hand rails for 24 hours.
5 - A person is infectious with swine flu for five days after symptoms have developed.
250,000-500,000 - These figures are the estimates of the amount of people who die each year from seasonal flu.
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