Good hygiene prevents spread of swine flu

Brian Donaldson • Published 9 Jul 2009 15:35 0 Comments

See also:

With swine flu now in Fermanagh, is there an escape from a pandemic which is now rapidly spreading around the world? Probably not but health professionals say most of the population should not have anything to fear from it.

However those at risk are those who suffer from a range of conditions affecting the heart, chest and diabetes to name a few. And it is this group of people who should be protected from potentially serious illnesses such as pneumonia which could be further complicated by swine flu.

It appears that many patients in Fermanagh who had been offered the pneumococcal vaccine in the past for pneumonia and had turned it down when they also received the flu vaccine last winter, for example, are now opting to get it because of the medical advice available. In one leading doctor"s practice alone, this could be up to 600 people.

However a local GP says that with diagnosis by telephone, those confirmed with swine flu should simply stay at home as they would for any mild flu until the condition clears up. Antivirals will also be prescribed.

Now the health authorities are bracing themselves for a major surge in confirmed cases from August when conditions tend to favour its spread as a highly contagious condition.

So how can the general population prevent it spreading?

Anyone going abroad or to other parts of the British Isles should keep away from contact with people known to have swine flu. Keep away from people who sneeze. And those who do sneeze should contain it in a tissue and bin it.

Good respiratory and hand hygiene should be observed, washing hands and surfaces regularly to kill the virus.

The Government has ordered enough vaccine for the whole population but when it does become available, they will focus on those at the greatest risk first.

This article appeared in Impartial Reporter 09 Jul 09

Return to the main index, get more from this section or browse our Opinion archives.