Swine flu cases hit 25,000 mark in Northern Ireland
Thursday, 15 October 2009
The number of suspected swine cases in Northern Ireland has hit the 25,000 mark, with the infection rate now at its highest ever level.
Chief medical officer Dr Michael McBride today warned there is a great risk of complacency about the public health risk.
Vaccinations will begin on October 21 for frontline workers with jabs for at-risk groups soon afterwards.
Dr McBride said: “We have never seen levels of transmission like this before. This represents a very significant increase as compared to last week but I think we need to keep a sense of proportion and not create a sense of panic.”
There have been over 13,000 courses of anti-virals prescribed.
The past week saw an almost 60% rise in lab confirmed diagnoses of the virus, with 119 detected in the last seven days, according to the Department of Health. This accounts for more than a fifth of the 565 positive samples detected in the region since the outbreak began.
With only a proportion of those with symptoms undergoing the tests, the actual number who have contracted flu is much higher.
GP consultations for flu and flu-like illness have jumped by 37% over the past seven days - which represents 222 per 100,000 head of population. The age category with the highest incidence is the 5-14 bracket.
Four deaths have been linked to the virus in Northern Ireland and 280 people have been hospitalised.
Two other people from the region have died in England and Spain.
The first 11,000 doses of the vaccine arrived in the region earlier this week.
Chief Medical Officer Dr McBride said while the number being admitted to hospital had actually dropped in the last week (from 61 to 34) he expected it to rise again in the coming seven days as a consequence of the increased number of diagnoses.
“I think that there is a tremendous risk of complacency in relation to the significant public health risk that this virus still poses,” he added.
“We need to ensure that we communicate that message clearly and consistently to the public to ensure that we protect the public for whatever lies ahead.”
He stressed that most of those who catch swine flu will experience mild symptoms.
“I want to reassure the public however that for the vast majority of people swine flu remains a relatively mild illness from which you will make a full recovery,” he said.
“If you think you have swine flu stay at home, please do not visit your GP practice, pharmacy or A&E in person.”
However he urged anyone with an underlying health condition or who is in one of the high risk categories - such as pregnant women, young children and older people - to contact their GP.
“For otherwise fit and healthy people, there is usually no need to take antivirals,” he said.
“Most people will recover at home by taking simple measures to alleviate symptoms such as resting, taking paracetamol and drinking plenty of fluids.
“If, however, your condition suddenly deteriorates or is getting worse after seven days (five for a child) then you should contact your GP or out-of-hours service.”