How Serious Is The Swine Flu Outbreak
At the time of writing, British Health authorities have reported that there are currently a total of 557 confirmed cases in the UK and a further 600 suspected cases that are still being investigated. This means that Britain has the highest number of swine flu cases in Europe.
Despite fears of the lethal effects of the virus there have, so far, been zero deaths in the UK due to the infection and many of those who have experienced the flu say that it is actually no worse than a regular cold. So are we headed for a far more serious outbreak this coming winter?
Outbreaks of swine flu have already resulted in the closure of various schools, including the well known Eton college. Some have said that they expect the rate of spread to increase when students return to their schools and colleges in September.
But Professor of virology, Ian Jones, from the University of Reading has said that he believes that the virus is more likely to spread in November which is the traditional start to the normal flu season. He says that it is clear that we cannot eradicate the virus and that the spread is likely to accelerate as we move into the season when flu is commonly spread amongst the population. On the positive side, it has been suggested that, unless the virus mutates, the effects will be no worse than we have seen already.
Experts have stated that the most important factor influencing the spread of the virus this winter will be the number of people infected at that time. The virus will become less of a problem once ‘herd immunity’ in the population builds up. But this doesn’t mean that we should all go out and try to catch swine flu in order to build or immunity.
It can be very hard to distinguish swine flu as the symptoms are very similar to many other forms of mild respiratory infection. They include a sore throat, aching limbs, shivering and feeling cold. Basically, the same symptoms as the common cold. If you suspect that you might have contracted the virus the advice is to seek treatment from your GP.
Prevention is the best approach. Using basic hygiene precautions will go a long way toward ensuring that you remain flu free. This means frequent hand washing with soap and warm water, cleaning hard surfaces, covering the mouth and nose when sneezing and disposing with tissues properly.
Travellers need to be particularly vigilant and inform appropriate people at airport or on aircraft if they present any of the recognised symptoms. Unfortunately, there is no way to tell the difference between swine flu and a regular cold or even hay fever, so airline and airport staff could find themselves inundated with unnecessary reports.
Airports around the world have been put on high alert as a result of the H1N1 swine flu outbreak. Airports are recognised as potential hubs in the spread of the virus and many have initiated precautions derived from the SARS, bird flu outbreak in 2003. Some international airport are even using thermal scanners to check the temperatures of people arriving from affected areas of the world.
The best thing you can do is only travel if absolutely essential, and stay away from anyone who looks like they have a cold!
If you are travelling you should be aware that you can save a fortune on airport parking by booking your car parking space in advance. For example, you can save up to 60% on heathrow parking by booking your space in advance.
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Tags: Aching Limbs, British Health, Closure, Coming Winter, Common Cold, Deaths, Fears, flu, Flu Cases, Flu Outbreak, Flu Season, Flu Symptoms, Health, Health Authorities, Herd Immunity, Lethal Effects, Respiratory Infection, Sore Throat, swine flu, University Of Reading, Virology
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