Swine flu – keeping it in perspective
This weekend has seen pregnant women and parents of young children launch into orbit with Swine Flu panic, after a tabloid article linked the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) to department of health advice advising people to delay baby plans. According to the article, Belinda Phipps, the NCT’s chief executive said that pregnant women catching swine flu run the risk of a “premature labour, a miscarriage or even cause birth defects.”
So far, the majority of swine flu cases have been mild with symptoms similar to seasonal flu. There were an estimated 55,000 new cases of swine flu in the UK last week, with the total number of deaths standing at 29. There are now more than 119,000 confirmed cases and 589 deaths worldwide.
It is worth bearing in mind that world wide seasonal flu claims the lives of about 250,000 to 500,000 people each year. These are mainly in the high risk groups including the very young, elderly or chronically ill.
Keep it in parent perspective
If you put these figures into parent perspective, keeping children in the home, or simply walking along the road can be just as dangerous as swine flu if not more. According to RosPA, in the year 2002, 26,445 children aged from birth to four years were victims of an accident on the road or in a parking area. In the same year, 416,806 children in the same age group were victims of accidents sustained in the home.
Who is most at risk from swine flu?
Patients who have had drug treatment for asthma in the past three years
Pregnant women
People aged 65 years and older
Children under five years old people with chronic lung disease
People with chronic heart disease
People with chronic kidney disease
People with chronic liver disease
People with chronic neurological disease
People with immunosuppression
People with diabetes mellitus
I’m pregnant!
Pregnant women are at a higher risk of catching swine flu because during pregnancy the natural immune system is suppressed. This means if they do catch it there is a risk they are likely to suffer complications such as pneumonia, breathing problems and dehydration. The NHS is urging pregnant women not to worry though. Those who do catch it will have mild symptoms like most other people and recover within a week. If you are pregnant and think you may have swine flu, call your GP.
Pregnant women with swine flu may be given an antiviral drug called Relenza, taken by an inhaler. This drug should not affect the baby. It should be safe to carry on breastfeeding your baby whilst taking this medicine, or to carry on using expressed milk, but do consult your GP or health visitor.
It is worth bearing in mind that pregnancy and childbirth in full health also carries with it many risks. Swine flu poses the same problems as catching seasonal influenza.
How can I tell if my child has swine flu?
Swine flu symptoms include any of the following when included with a temperature of 38 degrees Celsius. If your child has any of these then call your GP immediately. Children under the age of five years old are in the high risk category because of the developmental stage of their immune system.
• Tiredness
• Headache
• Runny nose and sneezing
• Sore throat
• Shortness of breath
• Loss of appetite
• Vomiting and diarrhoea
• Aching muscles, limb and joint pain
Invest in a digital thermometer. It is the easiest way to test your child’s temperature accurately.
If my child has swine flu, what should I do?
If your GP diagnoses swine flu in your child then first of all do not panic. Stay at home and treat their symptoms like any other cold or flu. Make sure they drink plenty of liquids, get lots of rest and take over the counter cold and flu remedies to help control their temperature.
Your GP will tell you whether your child should also take antiviral drugs. Antivirals, such as Tamiflu, shorten the symptoms by about a day and can reduce the risk of complications.
Antivirals will only be effective if they are taken within 48 hours of symptoms starting so if you are worried about your child then call your GP immediately. If antivirals are prescribed then be aware they can also have side effects. Your GP can advise on this.
Currently, if you are prescribed antivirals, your GP will give you an authorisation code. Then ask a a friend or relative who does not have swine flu to take this code to one of your local antiviral collection points to pick up their antivirals. Your GP will tell you where these are.
Next week, a new dedicated service will be launched to deal with swine flu. The National Pandemic Flu Service with a dedicated website and call centres will quickly tell you if you have swine flu, without the need to contact your GP.
The department of health swine flu advice is: To reduce the spread of swine flu, everyone should practise good hygiene. Remember to Catch it, Bin It, Kill It. If you cough or sneeze, catch it in a tissue, put it quickly in a bin and wash your hands and surfaces regularly to kill the virus.
Pregnant women are advised to keep personal hygiene tip-tip and have surfaces regularly disinfected in the home. It is not practical to stay shut indoors until the pandemic is over, but do try to avoid heavily crowded areas. Ask your employer about coming into work an hour later or leaving an hour earlier to avoid to packed transport systems.
Where can I get more information?
You can get more information on swine flu by calling the Swine Flu Information Line on 0800 1 513 513 or from the NHS Choices website at www.nhs.uk
One thing you can do right now is to make sure you have a digital thermometer to take your child’s temperature.