General News

Changes in Pandemic Flu management

The government today announced important changes to the way it is managing the Influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in the UK. Andy Burnham, the health secretary, told parliament that the UK was formally moving from a 'containment' to a 'treatment' phase.

This means intensive efforts to contain swine flu, via automatic school closures, for example, will end to free up capacity to treat the increasing numbers of people who are contracting the virus each day.

There have been 7,447 cases confirmed in the UK since the outbreak started two months ago. Of these, over 100 have involved hospitalisation, and three people have died as a result of complications associated with Influenza A (H1N1).

"Cases are doubling every week and, on this trend, we could see over 100,000 cases per day by the end of August", said Burnham. "Our national focus should be on treating the increasing numbers affected by swine flu... I can today tell the House we will move to this treatment phase across the UK" .

The shift to a treatment phase has important practical implications for the public and the NHS. It means that as of today:

GPs will be able to diagnose Influenza A (H1N1) on the basis of patients’ symptoms rather than waiting for laboratory testing.
The routine tracing of people who have come into contact with confirmed cases will end.
Schools and other institutions will close only if local circumstances warrant it, for example if a significant number of pupils or teachers are ill.

The way in which the antiviral medicines Tamiflu and Relenza are used and distributed will also change:

The medicines will continue to be offered to all those who show symptoms of swine flu at their doctor's discretion.
They will no longer be given to completely healthy people simply to slow the spread of swine flu.
They will be used for prevention (prophylaxis) only on the advice of a doctor in high-risk groups. These include people with long-term conditions, those over 65, children under five and pregnant women.
Individuals who require antivirals will pick up the medication at a local collection point.

A vaccine to protect against Influenza A (H1N1) is being developed but it is not available yet. The first batches of vaccine are expected to arrive in late August, and 30m double doses – enough for half the population – are expected to be available by the end of the year. The government has ordered enough vaccine for the whole population and, when it becomes available, will focus on those at the greatest risk first.

Posted 2 July 2009

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