Rhiza Labs FluTracker Forum

25 February 2010 - Weekly Swine Flu bulletin The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has today published its weekly flu bulletin.
The bulletin includes data for week ending Friday 19 February (Week 7) and gives a good representation of the level of flu activity across Northern Ireland.

The key points are as follows:

•GP consultation rates for combined ‘flu/ Flu like illness (FLI) have decreased from 20.9 in Week 6 to 17.2/100,000 population in Week 7 (18% decrease). Rates are now similar to the same week last year and remain well below the Northern Ireland threshold for seasonal influenza activity.
•Out of hours calls for ‘flu/FLI decreased from 75 in Week 6 to 52 in Week 7 (31% decrease).
•Two swine flu detections in Week 7 compared to five in Week 6.
•A cumulative total of 1,369 swine flu detections in Northern Ireland as at noon 24 February 2010.
•There was one new hospitalised case reported in Week 7.
•A cumulative total of 579 (provisional figure) hospitalised swine flu cases as at noon 24 February 2010.
•The number of RSV detections decreased from 9 in Week 6 to 5 in Week 7 (44% decrease).
•No new swine flu related deaths have been reported in Week 7. The total number of swine flu related deaths in Northern Ireland remains at 18 as at 24 February 2010.
•Antiviral prescriptions have decreased from 14 in Week 6 to 5 in Week 7 (64% decrease). The total number of antivirals issued was 24149.
The Chief Medical Officer, Dr Michael McBride said: “While swine flu is now circulating much less widely in the community, it should be remembered that the virus itself has not changed. This means that people are less likely to come in contact with the virus, however for those who do become infected, the virus poses just as much risk as it has done all along.

"We have received further advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation(JCVI). Based on their advice, and the high uptake of vaccine in the at risk groups in Northern Ireland, the current formal vaccination programme will end on 31 March. Vaccine will continue to be available to any unvaccinated patients who have newly come into one of the at risk groups after developing an illness or becoming pregnant. Those people in at risk groups, along with frontline health and social care workers who have not yet taken up the offer of vaccine can still do so during the spring and summer.

"It is particularly important to note that the programme for otherwise healthy children will not be continued beyond the end of March, on the advice of JCVI. I would strongly urge any parent who has not yet taken up the offer of vaccine for their child to do so by the 31 March."

[...]
Two more people have died from swine flu in Ireland.

The Department of Health has announced that both patients were men from the east of the country who had underlying medical conditions.
[...]

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has today published its weekly flu bulletin.
The bulletin includes data for week ending Friday 5 March (Week 9) and confirms that although flu activity across Northern Ireland is now fluctuating slightly from week to week, all indicators remain at a low level.

The key points are as follows:

•GP consultation rates for combined 'flu/ Flu like illness (FLI) have increased from 14.1 (updated) in Week 8 to 18.5/100,000 population in Week 9 (31% increase). Rates are significantly lower than the same week last year and remain well below the Northern Ireland threshold for seasonal influenza activity.
•Out of hours calls for 'flu/FLI increased from 46 in Week 8 to 49 in Week 9 (7% increase).
•No swine flu detections in Week 9.
•A cumulative total of 1,369 swine flu detections in Northern Ireland as at noon 10 March 2010.
•There was one new hospitalised case reported in Week 9.
•A cumulative total of 580 hospitalised swine flu cases as at noon 10 March 2010.
•The number of RSV detections increased from 4 in Week 8 to 8 in Week 9 (100% increase).
•No new swine flu related deaths have been reported in Week 9. The total number of swine flu related deaths in Northern Ireland remains at 18 as at 10 March 2010.
•Three antiviral courses were prescribed in Week 9. The total number of antivirals issued was 24,155.
Flu activity across Northern Ireland is now fluctuating slightly from week to week, however all indicators remain at a low level. For this reason, from today the bulletin will be produced fortnightly. The next update will be issued on Thursday 25 March.

Notes to editors:
1. The clinical priority groups for the swine flu vaccination programme were identified by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). They are prioritised as they are at greatest risk of complications if they become infected with swine flu, and hence the initial focus on protecting individuals in these groups. The priority groups for the swine flu vaccination, in order of priority are:

•Individuals aged six months and up to 65 years in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at risk groups;
•Pregnant women;
•Household contacts of immunocompromised individuals;
•People aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at risk groups;
•Frontline health and social care workers are also amongst the first to be offered the vaccine.
2. Phase two of the vaccination programme for children from six months to five years was announced on 19 November 2009 and is currently well under way.

3. The UK is in a treatment phase in relation to managing the swine flu pandemic. This means that our focus is on treating those people who actually have swine flu and in particular those at higher risk of developing complications. In addition, the routine testing of suspected cases and the tracing of close contacts of a symptomatic patient has been discontinued. The level of flu in the community is therefore being monitored using a range of surveillance mechanisms through GP practices, Out of Hours centres, antiviral prescriptions and hospital surveillance systems. This enables us to monitor flu levels and identify trends in activity.

4. Some groups of people are more at risk of serious illness if they catch swine flu. Those with:

•Chronic lung disease
•Chronic heart disease
•Chronic kidney disease
•Chronic liver disease
•Chronic neurological disease
•Immunosuppression (whether caused by disease or treatment)
•Diabetes mellitus
•Patients who have had drug treatment for asthma within the past three years
As well as:

•Pregnant women
•Young children under five years old
•People aged 65 years and older
It is vital that people in these higher risk groups contact their GP for assessment and if advised to start antivirals should start taking them within 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.

5. The Northern Ireland swine flu helpline number 0800 0514 142 is a freephone helpline (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) for those who want more information about swine flu. Textphone 18001 0800 0 514 142.

The UK-wide flu information line on 0800 1513 513 provides regularly updated advice on swine flu. This is also a freephone number.

6. Further information about swine flu can be found on the DHSSPS website and nidirect.

7. Media enquiries to the DHSSPS Press Office on 028 9052 0575. Out of office hours contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 9971 5440 and your call will be returned.

'Risk still of further swine flu wave'

[Posted: Mon 15/03/2010 by Niall Hunter, Editor]

The Chief Medical Officer of the Department of Health has warned that even though swine flu is on the wane at the moment, there is still a risk of a further wave of infection occurring.

Two further deaths were reported from swine flu last week, the first since mid-December.

However, Dr Tony Holohan, in an interview with irishhealth.com said the current vaccination programme has reduced the likelihood of another wave of infection taking place, although he admits the take-up of the vaccine among the general population is not as high as the Department would like it to be.

“The greater the level of immunity we get in the population, the less likely it is that we will get a second wave but we have no way of predicting with absolute certainty whether we will or not,” Dr Holohan said.

“The most likely time for another wave to happen would be next winter, but that’s by no means a prediction. The take-up (of the vaccine) in the general population is not as high as we would like.”

He said it is currently estimated that up to 20% of the population overall has so far been vaccinated. “We are still vaccinating in schools and the vaccine will be available in HSE clinics up to the end of the month so we would still be encouraging as many people as possible to come forward to get vaccinated. There will also be stocks in some GP surgeries that people can avail of.”

Dr Holohan said it is estimated that it is necessary to get 40% plus immunity in the population to reduce the risk of a second swine flu outbreak.

Somewhere in the region of 10% to 15% of the population have had the infection so they will have immunity, and then there are 20% who have been vaccinated. There would still be a small amount of residual immunity in around 5% of the population arising from people who are older and have been infected in previous flu pandemics in the fifties and sixties.”

Dr Holohan said this means more than 50% of the population are not immune. “However, the more we can reduce that figure the less likelihood there is of a second wave. In vaccine uptake rates, we are doing pretty well compared to many other countries.”

He rejects outright suggestions that swine flu was essentially a “hoax”, conjured up through a conspiracy between Governments and pharmaceutical companies.

“I certainly don’t think it was a hoax, and as to various conspiracy theories, I wouldn’t have any truck with that.”

Dr Holohan points out that of the 24 people who to date have died in Ireland from swine flu, two did not have any underlying health conditions, and there were over 1,000 hospitalisations.

“One death was in a woman who was pregnant but otherwise well and another in a person who was otherwise well and for the most part that does not happen with normal flu.”

He says Ireland and every other country responded appropriately and proportionately to the perceived threat from swine flu at the time.

Dr Holohan says the health authorities here had predicted that the initial wave of infection that began last autumn would last around 15 weeks and that is what happened.

“What we didn’t know was how high the peak in infection was going to go. We planned in such a way to allow for an infection rate of about 25% of the population."

"Because we had those plans in place we were able to cope well with the rate of infection we had.”

He says he would happy to say that overall, the health authorities handled the swine flu infection issue well, and credit is also due to health professionals, the media, schools and the general public in how the situation was handled.

Dr Holohan between and sub-clinical (infected but without symptoms) infection, around 10% to 15% of the population has been infected with the H1N1 virus to date.

He said H1N1 vaccine will form part of the usual seasonal flu vaccination programme next winter, when it will be one of the constituent components of the vaccine administered.

.......

Martin and his girlfriend Nina are mourning Nina’s five-year-old sister, Ruby Ayoub, died from meningitis after the illness was mistaken for swine flu. They have relocated from London to Dublin to be nearer to Nina’s family.

“It put everything in perspective for me, seeing how Nina’s family went through such an awful time,” he said.

.....

Wednesday October 06 2010

Medical experts warned swine flu will be the worst strain of the virus this winter as the seasonal vaccination campaign began today.

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Friday October 29 2010

SWINE flu is back -- the first reported case this autumn has been diagnosed in a young child.

The child, who is under five years of age, had to be hospitalised with the virus, the country's disease watchdog revealed last night.

Another case of influenza A, a common strain, was also reported last week .

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3 November 2010

A child who was diagnosed with swine flu just over a week ago has died, the Public Health Agency has confirmed.

The child was a pupil at Ceara School in Lurgan, County Armagh - a special school for children with severe learning disabilities.

Twenty people from Northern Ireland died in last year's swine flu outbreak, including a number of children with severe learning difficulties.

The child was one of two people diagnosed with the virus last week.

The other case, involving a man from Northern Ireland, was not linked
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-11688565