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Swine Flu

What is Swine Flu?

Swine flu is a type of virus usually found in pigs but which can be spread to humans. The virus is contagious and therefore can spread from human to human.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms are similar to those of the usual human seasonal influenza infection: upper respiratory tract infection, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, muscle and joint aches, headache, and sometimes diarrhoea and vomiting.

How does it spread?

Spread of this virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. This is mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with flu. People may also become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

The recent outbreak began in Mexico but has spread to the UK with 2 initial cases confirmed in Scotland. There is concern that this virus is sufficiently different from other viruses and so the human community may have little immunity to it. This creates a risk of passing from human to human and resulting in a pandemic - i.e. epidemics worldwide with considerable morbidity and mortality.

Are there medicines to treat swine flu?

There are antiviral medicines which are only available on prescription; they fight against the flu by keeping the viruses from reproducing in your body. This makes the symptoms milder and may also prevent serious flu complications from developing. There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu.

How to protect yourself?

You can help prevent the spread of germs of influenza by:

• Ensuring anyone with flu like symptoms covers their nose and mouth with a tissue when they cough or sneeze. The tissue must be thrown away after use.
• Washing your hands often with soap and water. For infected people this is essential after they cough or sneeze.
• Trying to avoid close contact with sick people.
• Staying home from work or school if you are sick.

What to do if you believe you are infected?

If you believe yourself to be infected you need to make telephone contact with you own GP or Out of Hours provider for advice. You should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) have advised today 28th April 2009 against all but essential travel to Mexico.

To use Frendoc, patients simply phone their own GP surgery from 6.30pm to 8.00am and their call is diverted to Frendoc’s operators.

For more information please visit www.frendoc.com or telephone 0845 121 0504 for out-of-hours advice.

For more media information please contact Samantha Brown at Corixa Communications on 0117 949 3394/07935 268427 or email samantha.brown@corixa.co.uk

Notes to editors:

• Frendoc is a not-for-profit GP out-of-hours service provider, owned and run by local GPs in the Bristol and South Gloucestershire region.
• Bristol PCT chose Frendoc as the preferred provider for the whole of the North and East Bristol GP out of hours service. This is this an extension to the overnight service which the organisation runs in North Bristol, and the full out of hours service in South Gloucestershire.
• Frendoc strives to achieve the best possible patient care and places patient safety at the heart of its activities.
• Frendoc’s innovative out-of-hours training model prioritises patient safety and ensures that trainee GPs receive a high level of direct supervision.

For further information visit www.frendoc.com