Swine Flu declared as Pandemic

On June11th, the World Health Organisation (WHO), upgraded the status on Swine flu to level 6 or pandemic status.

This does not mean the virus has become more serious; it simply means that in terms of countries now affected by the virus, pandemic level has been reached.  This is of particular concern to those countries in the southern hemisphere as they are just entering their annual flu season, where one would expect the number of cases to increase suddenly - whether they be due to Swine flu or any other influenza virus.

The virus has proven to be troublesome, but to date there have been few deaths, given the number of cases confirmed.  Antiviral medication is available for those who need it (i.e. those affected or having been in close contact with an infected person).  As with all influenza viruses, the very young, the elderly, those with a pre-existing health problem and those people with a compromised immune system are most at risk from serious problems due to an influenza infection. 

Scientists have been working hard to develop a vaccine against this particular strain of influenza and this will soon be ready for production.

In the meantime, the measures already established; washing your hands, using tissues, not handkerchiefs, avoiding crowded places and not venturing out at all if suspecting an infection, but instead calling your GP or NHS Direct for advice.

Some will be wondering about travelling as the summer holiday season will soon be here.  The answer is that unless advised not to travel to any particular destination (and the Foreign Office will do this if they perceive the risk unacceptable), travel is not precluded.  The fact of the matter is that this virus is now in many countries, so there is a degree of risk wherever you are.  Of course long haul travel does carry its own risks in terms of jet lag, which may, in theory, make you more susceptible to illness of any sort and it is also worth remembering that viruses do tend to spread more quickly on board crowded aircrafts.   

The same stringent measures should be taken against contracting the disease and some hand cleansing gel is a good addition to your hand luggage when travelling if you think washing facilities could be limited.  Ensure your travel insurance is in date and valid for the countries for which you are to visit, in case of illness occurring; (this is good practice even without the existence of a pandemic).  Wherever possible, give anyone with obvious signs of illness a wide berth.

And just remember, whilst you could, in theory, become infected with the virus anywhere in the world, standards of medicine will vary according to your location, so you do need to ask yourself how comfortable you would be with the standard of diagnosis, treatment and care you would receive in a third world country.  Only you know whether this would be acceptable to you. 

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