Swine Flu – What you need to know

Dear Students,

You will be very aware of news reports indicating the possibility that the current North American outbreak of swine flu has the potential to spread globally. Governments are mixed in their speed of reaction. A statement in the House of Commons is expected later today. The EU Health Commissioner has issued sensible precautions:
Please take personal responsibility for keeping up to date with the latest directives and guidance from the World Health Organisation, web link below.

In particular, please avoid travel to the affected areas. Currently this includes Mexico, the USA and Canada, but some European countries are also reporting cases.
Please be vigilant in respect of your personal hygiene, washing hands frequently and avoiding close contact with those displaying flu-like symptoms.
If you have recently travelled to any of the affected areas, and are displaying flu-like symptoms, please consult your doctor immediately and remove yourself from public circulation, including college premises. The Health Protection Agency is implementing the following protocol:

Agency procedures
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has a procedure for confirming whether or not a patient has swine flu.
• If a patient rings their GP or NHS Direct to report symptoms, they will be told to stay at home, not to visit a surgery or hospital

• The HPA has prepared an "algorithm" - in essence, a flow chart - for suspected cases. On the phone, or possibly even face to face depending on the circumstances, the patient's GP or NHS Direct will take the patient through the algorithm

• If the answers to the algorithm lead the questioner to believe the patient may have swine flu, a sample will be taken that will then be sent to one of the HPA's network of regional labs for testing

• If the sample is confirmed as influenza type A, it will then be sent to the HPA's Reference Lab at the Centre for Infections in Colindale, where they will carry out genetic typing on it and establish whether it is a confirmed case of swine flu.

For further information click on the links below:
www.bbc.co.uk/news
www.who.int

Thank you

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