UK: 'Vaccinate families against swine flu first'

[Guest guest]

" The number of UK swine flu-related deaths currently stands at 59, with 10

occurring in the past week. In England, there are 263 patients being treated

in hospital, down from 371 reported last week. Almost half of those who have

died lived in London. "

So they have calculated that there have been 59 swine-flu-related deaths so

far - how many *ordinary* flu deaths have there been in the corresponding

period? Guess they're not counting....!

http://www.independent.co

uk/news/uk/home-news/vaccinate-families-against-swine-flu-first-1775013.html

'Vaccinate families against swine flu first'

By Green

Thursday, 20 August 2009

Schoolchildren and their parents should be the first members of the

population to be vaccinated against swine flu to best prevent its spread,

according to research.

The recommendations come as the government figures showed the number of

people being diagnosed with the virus in the UK is now falling steadily,

with an estimated 11,000 new cases in England last week, down from 25,000

the week before.

The vaccination study by American scientists, published yesterday in the

online version of the journal Science, concluded that the most effective way

to protect the population would be to prioritise the immunisation of school

pupils and their parents, as these groups are most likely to transmit swine

flu to others.

The researchers looked at data collected during earlier flu pandemics in

1918 and 1957, in an attempt to locate the groups of people who would be

best to target with a vaccine.

“We find that optimal vaccination is achieved by prioritisation of

schoolchildren and adults aged 30 to 39 years,” the scientists wrote.

“Schoolchildren are most responsible for transmission, and their parents

serve as bridges to the rest of the population.”

The advice contradicts the Government’s plans for a mass immunisation

campaign beginning in October, which is due to prioritise people with

chronic health conditions, pregnant women and pensioners. A decision has yet

to be taken about whether the rest of the population will receive injections

The number of UK swine flu-related deaths currently stands at 59, with 10

occurring in the past week. In England, there are 263 patients being treated

in hospital, down from 371 reported last week. Almost half of those who have

died lived in London.

The government’s chief medical officer Sir Liam son said yesterday

that it was “virtually impossible” to accurately predict when a second wave

of swine flu will arrive.

A surge in the number of cases is widely expected in the autumn, when

people’s immune systems are naturally weaker and schools and universities

return after the summer holidays, but Sir Liam described this as only a

“best guess”.

He said he hoped the current pandemic would follow the pattern of that in

1968-70, when the second wave hit at Christmas. This would give the

government time to vaccinate as many people as possible.

A few weeks ago, one in four people reporting flu-like symptoms to their GP

or the National Pandemic Flu Service were eventually diagnosed with swine

flu; now it is one in 10.

“It is unusual to have [flu] around this time of year even at the levels we

have got,” Sir Liam said. “We do expect a second wave but we can’t forecast

when. The best guess is it will be this winter.”

The Health Protection Agency said that most cases of the H1N1 virus were mild,

and that there was no sign of the virus mutating, becoming more severe or

developing resistance to anti-viral drugs.