Pregnant Teen Dies After Catching Swine Flu

A pregnant teenager has died after contracting swine flu. The 17-year-old, who was from the Scottish Borders, has not yet been named.

When she contracted influenza A (H1N1), she was already pregnant, which makes women more likely to face difficulties related to the virus.

Following the death, Scotland’s Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon urged all pregnant women to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their babies.

She said: “The death of this young mother-to-be and her baby is deeply saddening and my thoughts are with her family and friends.

“Medical experts have been telling us that pregnant women are more vulnerable to developing complications after contracting the virus.

“For this reason, they will be among the priority groups for vaccination when the H1N1 vaccine becomes available later this month.”

Due to the sudden nature of this death, a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal, the official who investigates sudden fatalities.

The latest figures for Scotland reveal the number of community samples that tested positive for H1N1 has increased to 29.3% from 16.4% last week.

There have been fifteen deaths linked to the virus since the start of the outbreak in the country.

Use Of Antivirals For Swine Flu.

Several newspapers have reported that the World Health Organization has changed its advice regarding use of antivirals for swine flu. The advice suggests that while antivirals should always be given in serious cases, they may not always be necessary for otherwise healthy people.

The papers pointed out that this differs from the approach taken in the UK, where Tamiflu is being widely used.

However, the Department of Health has said: 
“We believe a safety-first approach of offering antivirals, when required, to everyone remains a sensible and responsible way forward. However, we will keep this policy under review as we learn more about the virus and its effects.

“The WHO recommendations are in fact in line with UK policy on antivirals. We have consistently said that many people with swine flu only get mild symptoms, and they may find bed rest and over-the-counter flu remedies work for them.”

Weekly update

There has been another sharp fall in UK cases of swine flu, with an estimated 11,000 new infections in the past week, down from 25,000 the week before. This week has also seen a further 10 deaths related to swine flu in England. With five deaths in Scotland and one in Northern Ireland, the UK total is now 60.

Despite the fall in cases the Sir Liam Donaldson, Chief Medical Officer, expects there to be a second wave of infections later in the year, speculating that the spread of swine flu could be similar to that of previous pandemics, which featured huge surges during the autumn and winter months. Equally, the new virus might behave unpredictably and follow an unknown pattern of its own.

Although case numbers have dropped, he also reiterated that swine flu still poses a danger, saying that “it isn’t a severe illness for the vast majority but it is for some and a small proportion of those, even healthy people, will die.”

Vaccinations for the vulnerable

The secretary of state for health has confirmed which priority groups will be given the first doses of swine flu vaccine, which is expected to arrive in October.

Andy Burnham said that the earliest doses of the vaccine would be given to at-risk groups in the following order:

• People aged between six months and 65 years in the clinically at-risk groups for seasonal flu
• Pregnant women, subject to licensing by the European Medicines Agency, which will indicate whether it can be given throughout pregnancy or only at certain stages of pregnancy
• Household contacts of people with compromised immune systems
• People aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups

The health secretary said: “Although the virus has so far proved to be mild in most people, for others it has been more serious. By vaccinating high-risk groups first, we aim to protect those most vulnerable to this virus”. He also confirmed that frontline health and social care workers will also begin to be vaccinated at the same time as the first at-risk group.

At-risk groups

At-risk groups will be the same as for seasonal flu vaccination, and include people with serious heart disease, diabetes, and those with weakened immune systems due to cancer treatment.

The list has been drawn up according to advice from independent experts at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which reviewed the evidence and advised the Department of Health on the crucial risk groups to be offered vaccination to help prevent serious illness.

A vaccination programme for the rest of the population will be based on the evolution of the pandemic as well as new clinical data on the use of the vaccine.

People in the priority groups outlined above do not need to take any action yet. Further announcements will be made as the vaccination strategy progresses, and those who need a vaccine will be contacted.

Weekly pandemic flu update

Other key points made in the latest briefing by the chief medical officer (CMO) included:

• There has been a further reduction in the rates of flu-like illness and related activity this week. There were an estimated 11,000 new cases this week compared to 25,000 new cases last week.
• Weekly GP consultation rates decreased over the last week in England.
• There are 263 patients in hospital with swine flu, 30 of whom are in critical care.
• There have been 54 confirmed deaths in England.
• There is still no sign of the virus mutating into a more dangerous form, or developing resistance to drugs.

Vaccine progress

The World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed last week that the first swine flu vaccines are likely to be licensed for use in the general population in September. Initial batches of an H1N1 vaccine have already been produced, and clinical trials are underway.

“The quality controls on today’s vaccine are much better than they were 30 years ago,” said the WHO, which also oversees the safety checks on the seasonal flu jab.

Massive Swine Flu Rise In Wales

A massive leap in the spread of swine flu in Wales has been revealed today.

During the last week, reports show that 2,313 people have contacted their GP with flu like symptoms with Wales now fast catching up with England on the spread of the virus.

Six new cases of swine flu have been confirmed, with three receiving hospital treatment.

The worst areas with largest increase in cases are in Newport, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Torfaen and Wrexham.

The latest cases involve three youngsters from Denbighshire, a 13-year-old girl and two teenage boys, aged 15 and17. All three are linked to travel to Spain.

Those who have received hospital treatment are a 26-year-old woman from Carmarthen, a 24-year-old woman from Newport and a 44-year-old woman from Neath Port Talbot.

All have received treatment and sent home.

A total of 77 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Wales but with GPs so longer taking swabs from suspected patients the rates of the disease are know to be much higher.

A total of 16 people with swine flu have been hospitalised in Wales, 15 of whom have been discharged.

Dr Roland Salmon, Director of the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, National Public Health Service for Wales, said: “The rise in numbers of people contacting their GP with flu like symptoms illustrates the spread of the disease across Wales. Not everyone, however, who has contacted their GP with flu like symptoms will have swine flu and not everyone with swine flu contacts their GP so it is difficult to accurately record the spread of the virus across Wales.

“Previously, we have been investigating and responding to individual cases. This has allowed us to learn about the virus, how it spreads and how it affects people. We have learnt that, in the majority of cases it is mild although proving severe for a small minority. Most people recover from infection without the need for hospitalisation or medical care.

“As the disease becomes more widespread in the UK, we have changed our approach to focus on treatment, emphasising those people most at risk – people more likely to develop serious illness or complications. These are, particularly, the groups that we encourage to get vaccinated each winter, because they are at risk from seasonal influenza, together with pregnant women and children under 5.

“We advise people to practice good respiratory and hand hygiene to reduce the chance of catching or spreading the virus. If people think they may have flu and want to check their symptoms they can call the Swine Flu Information Line on 0800 1 513 513. If they are still concerned they should contact NHS Direct Wales on 0845 4647.

“People should not go to Accident and Emergency Departments or to their GP surgery as this may risk spreading the infection. It also places undue pressure on the emergency services.”

Second Birmingham School In Swine Flu Outbreak

Another inner-city Birmingham primary school has been closed after being hit by an outbreak of swine flu.

Birchfield Community School on Trinity Road, Aston, which will be shut for a week, is the fifth city school to be hit by the virus and the third to be closed this week.

The closure of the school, which also has 116 full and part-time pre-school pupils, comes as three further cases of the H1N1 virus in the West Midlands were confirmed last night by the Health Protection Agency.

No-one was available for comment at Birchfield Community School last night, but a statement on the school’s website read: “There has been a confirmed case of swine flu in our school community, and there are a number of pupils who are unwell with influenza-type illness.

“On the advice of the Health Protection Agency, the decision has now been made to close the school, from the end of the school day today. It will re-open on Wednesday 17th June 2009.

“The reason for this closure is to try to allow those children who are unwell to fully recover, and prevent any possible further spread between pupils.”

The school also said while close contacts of the case had been identified and “appropriate actions” had been taken, parents should contact their GP or NHS Direct for advice if their child became ill.

The latest outbreak follows four cases of the virus which were confirmed at Heathfield Primary, in Heathfield Road, Handsworth, yesterday.

Heathfield Primary will remain closed until Monday, along with St James Primary, in Sandwell Road, also Handsworth, where a further case was also identified yesterday.

On Monday, it was revealed that two cases have been linked to Hollyhead Secondary School, in Handsworth, although it has remained open. All affected schools, with the exception of Birchfield Community School, are near to Welford Primary, the scene of the UK’s largest outbreak where 96 cases have been confirmed.

Welford Primary was closed for more than a week, but reopened after the half-term break.

Today, the HPA said there was “no way” of knowing how many cases have come as a direct result of contact with pupils, parents and staff at Welford Primary.

The number of cases in the West Midlands now stands at 142 – the highest number of cases in the country.

UK Homes To Get Swine Flu Advice

Leaflets about the swine flu outbreak and how to prevent its spread are to be delivered to every UK household.

The Department of Health is also “urgently looking” at increasing stockpiles of facemasks, most likely for issue to health professionals.

The results of swine flu tests on 23 people in Scotland are expected later. A Falkirk couple, who recently returned from Mexico, are the UK’s first cases.

The virus is thought to have killed nearly 160 people in Mexico.

The number of swine flu cases globally is rising, though no-one outside Mexico has died.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown is to be briefed on the latest developments on Wednesday by the chief medical officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, and Health Secretary Alan Johnson.

Information campaign

Delivery of the government leaflets is due to start within the next few days.

“Guidelines for doctors issued a few months ago anticipated this kind of public information campaign as an important part of the current phase four alert,” said BBC health correspondent Branwen Jeffreys.

Available scientific evidence does not support the general wearing of facemasks by those who are not ill whilst going about their normal activities  Department of Health spokesman

The World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert status to level four on Monday – two levels from a full pandemic – after concluding there had been sustained transmission between humans.

But a national pandemic flu helpline set out in the government plans is not expected to be operational before the autumn.

The prime minister has said Britain is “among the best prepared countries in the world” to deal with the outbreak.

“We have been preparing for this kind of scenario for many years,” he said, insisting that Britain was now taking “all the urgent action that is necessary”.

A Department of Health spokesman said: “We are urgently looking into how we can increase our current stockpiles of facemasks for healthcare workers who would come into close contact with symptomatic individuals during an influenza pandemic.”

The spokesman said that “available scientific evidence does not support the general wearing of facemasks by those who are not ill whilst going about their normal activities”.

Chief medical officer for Scotland, Dr Harry Burns, is hoping for the results of tests on 23 people displaying swine flu symptoms.

Fourteen have been screened after returning from Mexico or the US, while nine had been in contact with the British couple confirmed as having swine flu.

Iain and Dawn Askham, of Polmont, near Falkirk, are continuing to improve at Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, Lanarkshire.

It has emerged they were mixing with people at home and work for five days after their return from honeymoon in Cancun, before feeling ill and being admitted to hospital.

If any of the Askhams’ friends or workmates test positive, “it will mean the infection was transmitted here in Scotland”, says Scotland correspondent Colin Blane.

CONFIRMED & SUSPECTED CASES Mexico: 159 suspected deaths – 20 confirmed cases US: 64 confirmed cases Canada: 13 confirmed cases New Zealand: 3 confirmed cases UK, Spain, Israel: 2 confirmed cases each Countries with suspected cases: Brazil, Guatemala, Peru, Australia, and South Korea, and seven EU states

The chief medical officer for Wales, Tony Jewell, said there were eight suspected cases under investigation in the nation – all linked to travel in Mexico.

The Health Protection Agency said it was not releasing details about any suspected cases in England until swine flu was confirmed.

Wiltshire Primary Care Trust has said that seven people are being tested, while two cases are under investigation in Derbyshire.

Tests carried out on a female patient at West Middlesex hospital in west London have proved negative.

In Northern Ireland the chief medical officer, Dr Liz Mitchell, said it was likely that there would be cases, although there was none currently under investigation.

The health secretary has said a stockpile of anti-viral drugs will be used to treat patients showing symptoms of the disease, should the virus start spreading in the UK.

Sir Liam Donaldson said: “If a new pandemic does start as a result of this outbreak in Mexico and the United States, we can’t make it go away, but what we can do through our plans, particularly our stockpiles of anti-virals, is mitigate its effect.”

But the Conservatives have criticised the government over the national flu helpline, which was supposed to be ready in early 2009.

Shadow health minister Stephen O’Brien said: “The national flu line will be crucial if a pandemic were to happen in Britain, by allowing people to get the information and the anti-virals they will need to fight the flu without having to go to GP surgeries or hospitals.”

Cancelled holidays

NHS Direct has stopped call centre staff from booking any new periods of time off until further notice in response to the expected high demand for the service.

There were 57% more visits to the NHS Direct website on Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning compared with the same period last week.

Official UK guidance is that anyone with flu-like symptoms who might have been in contact with the virus – such as those living or travelling in the affected areas of Mexico – should seek medical advice.

SWINE FLU Swine flu is a respiratory disease thought to spread through coughing and sneezing Symptoms mimic those of normal flu. In Mexico more than 150 people are thought to have died from the virus Good hygiene like using a tissue and washing hands thoroughly can help reduce transmission

But patients are being asked not to go into GP surgeries in order to minimise the risk of spreading the disease to others. Instead, they should stay at home and call their healthcare provider for advice.

Swine flu is usually found in pigs and contracted only by people in contact with the animals.

The Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Mexico, also urging travellers to “consult a doctor immediately if they show signs of flu-like symptoms”.

The department has suspended routine consular and visa services at the Mexico City embassy.

On Tuesday, Thomas Cook cancelled all Thomas Cook and Airtours holidays to the resort of Cancun for the next seven days.

Holiday firms Thomson and First Choice have cancelled all outbound flights to Cancun and Cozumel, up to and including 8 May, and are starting repatriation flights for British holidaymakers already in Mexico.

British Airways, which has four flights a week to Mexico City, said it would not be cancelling any flights.