People urged to take swine flu seriously
The latest health advice is for people to remain on the look out for symptoms of the swine flu virus and if they get it to “stay at home”.
Doctor Ifeoma Onyia, Consultant in Public Health for NHS Wirral said: “If people think they have swine flu they should stay at home and not visit their GP practice, pharmacy, A&E or Walk-in Centre.
“However, I would urge people to take swine flu seriously. Irrespective of whether you decide to take anti-virals you need to monitor your symptoms closely and if you fail to improve or suddenly deteriorate telephone your GP for advice.
“If you are in one of the groups identified as being a priority group you will automatically be contacted by your GP in the coming weeks and offered a swine flu vaccine - I encourage those people identified and contacted to receive their swine flu jab.”
The symptoms of swine flu are the sudden onset of fever (body temperature of above 38 degrees) plus any two of the following:
- cough or shortness of breath
- headache
- sore throat
- unusual tiredness
- aching muscles
- vomiting
- runny nose
- loss of appetite
- diarrhoea
Anyone who thinks they may have contracted the swine flu virus can contact the National Pandemic Flu Service on-line at www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu or call 0800 1 513 513 for information or 0800 1 513 100 for treatment. They should not go to their GP, Pharmacy, Walk-in Centre or A&E as anti-virals cannot be collected from these outlets.
If you have think you could have swine flu and have chronic lung, kidney or heart disease, are over 65, are pregnant, or if you have a child under one with symptoms, you should telephone your usual GP service rather than use the National Pandemic Flu Service.
The initial symptoms of swine flu can be similar to those of other illnesses, so it is important for people to be vigilant about their symptoms should they fall ill this winter. Parents with young children need to be particularly aware of this, as acute illnesses may be more difficult to diagnose in a young child.
If you are taking anti-viral medication and your symptoms fail to improve after a few days, or get suddenly worse, telephone your GP for advice.