Swine flu - local people should stay vigilant

Date published: 19/08/2009

The Director of Public Health for Bury, Dr. Peter Elton today thanked people in the area for their response to the continuing swine flu pandemic. He said; "The National Pandemic Flu Service has been a great help but, inevitably there were some teething problems. Members of the public who contacted NHS Bury were very understanding as we sorted out these problems."

As numbers of swine flu cases continue to fall in Bury, Stephen Mills, Chief Executive of NHS Bury added;

“The response from local people has been tremendous. We’re now seeing a drop in the number of cases, but at the beginning of July we were facing a very sharp increase in the number of people contacting their GPs with flu-like symptoms.”

“We had serious concerns that the number of people turning up at our local hospitals and GP surgeries would continue to go up, putting real pressure on NHS services and spreading the virus further.”

The number of people contracting swine flu in Bury is dropping sharply. However, Dr Elton added; “We must not let our guard down. In some previous pandemics there has been a second more serious wave. We need to be ready to take necessary action if that occurs."

“In the meantime, the National Pandemic Flu Service will prescribe anti-viral medication for anyone diagnosed as having swine flu, but if you still have concerns or if your condition suddenly deteriorates or fails to improve, the advice is to call your GP immediately for advice.”

Some of the symptoms of swine flu are the sudden onset of fever, cough or shortness of breath. Other symptoms can include headache, sore throat, tiredness, aching muscles, chills, sneezing, runny nose or a loss of appetite.

If you have flu-like symptoms and are concerned that you may have swine flu:

Read up on swine flu symptoms at the NHS Choices website www.nhs.uk

Stay at home and check your condition at the National Pandemic Flu Service at www.direct.gov.uk/swineflu or by calling 0800 1 513 100.

You should call your GP directly if:

• You have a serious underlying illness
• You are pregnant
• You have a sick child under one year old
• Your condition suddenly gets much worse
• Your condition is still getting worse after seven days (or five days for a child)