Swine Flu
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If you are in England and feel like you may have swine flu, visit the National Pandemic Flu Service by following this link, or call 0800 1 513 100 (textphone - 0800 1 513 200). Please DO NOT come down to the Surgery.
People who have swine flu symptoms will be given a unique access number and told where their nearest antiviral collection point is. They should then ask a flu friend - a friend or relative who doesn't have swine flu - to go and pick up their antivirals from their nearest antiviral collection point. The flu friend must show their own ID as well as that of the patient. |
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Contact your doctor directly rather than using the National Pandemic Flu Service if:
* you have a serious underlying illness * you are pregnant * you have a sick child under one year old * your condition suddenly gets much worse * your condition is still getting worse after seven days (five for a child)
What is swine flu and how serious is it?
A new strain of Influenza A (H1N1), also known as swine flu, was
confirmed in the UK in April and has spread to nearly 200 countries
around the world.
Although symptoms have generally proved mild, a small
number of patients will develop more serious illness. Many of these
people have other underlying health conditions, such as heart or lung
disease, that put them at increased risk.
Symptoms
Patients with swine flu typically have a fever or a high temperature (over 38°C / 100.4°F) and two or more of the following symptoms:
* unusual tiredness * headache * runny nose * sore throat * shortness of breath or cough * loss of appetite * aching muscles * diarrhoea or vomiting
As with any sort of influenza, how bad and how long the
symptoms last will depend on treatment and the patient’s individual
circumstances.
Most cases reported in the UK have been relatively mild, with those affected starting to recover within a week.
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