Swine flu leaflet delivery begins

Leaflets giving information about swine flu and advice on how to prevent its spread are to start being delivered to all households in the UK later.

The nationwide campaign begins after the number of confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in the UK has risen to 27.

Five schools have been closed, three in London, one in Devon and one in south Gloucestershire, after pupils fell ill.

Meanwhile in Mexico officials are set to relax flu restrictions after seeing a fall in the number of new cases.

From Tuesday, all homes in the UK are set to receive a leaflet stressing the importance of good hygiene in preventing the spread of swine flu.

The leaflets also advise people to set up networks of neighbours, friends or relatives who would pick up medicine and other supplies in the event of someone having to stay at home due to flu.

England's chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the last time a leaflet had been sent to every home in the UK was after the outbreak of the Aids virus in the 1980s.

"It reinforces the basic hygiene principles that can play a very important part in halting the spread and reducing the risk to individuals," Sir Liam added.

On Monday, nine further cases of swine flu were confirmed in the UK.

Five of those diagnosed were year seven pupils at Alleyn's School in Dulwich, London, which announced it would close by for at least seven days. All 1,200 pupils plus staff are receiving Tamiflu antiviral drugs.

Governors at another school, Dolphin School in Battersea, London, decided to shut its doors as a precaution after it emerged that two pupils - siblings of pupils at Alleyn's - had been confirmed with the virus.

Swine flu has already closed three other schools - South Hampstead High School in north west London, Downend in South Gloucestershire and Paignton Community and Sports College in Devon.

The two other new cases of the virus confirmed on Monday were adults who had visited Mexico.

They bring the overall totals to 23 in England and four in Scotland. The tally in London has reached 13, according to NHS London.

About 300 other people in the UK are currently awaiting the results of tests to determine whether they have the virus.

And in Hong Kong, several Britons remain under quarantine in a hotel after a guest there became China's first confirmed case of swine flu.
Meanwhile in Mexico, restaurants and cafes in Mexico City are to reopen on Wednesday, with libraries, museums and churches to follow suit a day later.

Environment Secretary Hilary Benn said on Monday that the outbreak in the UK was less severe than first thought, but Health Secretary Alan Johnson told the BBC he expected a second, more serious, wave of cases later this year.

Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon told a press conference that no health minister could ignore World Health Organisation warnings about the possible impact of a flu pandemic.

"It's absolutely right that we prepare for the worst here, that's what we've been doing - not that we're necessarily expecting the worst, but we are preparing for that because it's the right and responsible thing to do," she said.

Cases of the virus have been confirmed in Newcastle, Oxfordshire, Devon, Merseyside, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, as well as London and Central Scotland.

A six-year-old girl in Oxfordshire diagnosed with the flu has made a full recovery, doctors have told the BBC.

Members of the public can call 0800 1513513 for recorded information about swine flu. The number for NHS 24 in Scotland is 08454 24 24 24.


SWINE FLU ADVICE

Use clean tissues when you cough or sneeze
Bin tissues after use
Wash hands with soap, hot water or gel

NHS: Important Information About Swine Flu [118 KB]

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If you cough/sneeze do it in the crook of your arm thus reduce the risk of spreading nasties from your hands!

Anybody received their leaflet yet?

just think about the amount of extra land fill there is going to be with all these dirty tissues been binned. It means higher council taxes due to the EU landfill reduction tarkets not been met which means larger fines having to be paid to the EU. It may work out cheaper to have lots of use catch the flue and pop are clogs because as yet there is not additional penalty's impossed by the EU for human bodies been buried.

Bulls**t, this is a genetically engineered flu, an experiment by the government of some third world country.
How the hell can we catch a bug off an animal?
They have taken the DNA of an infected pig an mixed it with human DNA to produce this bug

Am just

we discussed infection control in a team meeting in work today - we don't work in a clinical area though. I joked that if you're gonna sneeze - do it in your armpit - all the smart-arses in the room (management) corrected me and said it was crook of your arm - like I fooking care?

Anyhoo - what freaked me most was that lady I work with says if she sneezes into a tissues she doesn't put it in her bin but saves it and puts it down the loo. God help me if she ever develops bubonic plaque!

Our senior manager also made the point that in the even of a major incident the centre would be a holding area for relatives of patients. But if its pandemic flu this would not be the case. Duh!!!!

I must say I do like the idea of bouncy mortuaries Putting the 'fun' back in funeral

Recieved ours today, thanks

I've still not had mine yet???

Had ours ages ago-went in the grey bin last week!
Am not worried bout it atall- i did note the date when all the sky news hysteria began- so i can refer back- if i do 'get it'.
Few days in bed, ideally wiv a stack of superficial celeb obsessed magazine fodder, an active 'red button' on e4 and a 'web n walk pass' on me fone for the duration-happy days!!

I'm not bothered, it's not like it would save my life
I'm just nosey and wouldn't mind seeing what all the fuss was about!

Not much differant from the 'emergency leaflet' we got after 9/11- superficial fodder that 'you already know'. Both were disappointing in a 'wrong/ weird' type way! Lol

I never got that one either
Someone trying to tell me something???

90 people get the Swine Flu and everybody wants to wear a mask. A million people have AIDS and no one wants to wear a condom.

Sums it up pretty well that does

It's all about pillocks sitting in offices with nowt to do and got to appear to be doing something. It's all mouth music, the same as wanting to look after middle classes one week, working classes the next, then the hard working British families, then the old age pensioners, then the students, then teachers, then the armed forces. A little promise to everybody and we will all vote the same lame brained assholes back in at the next General Election. Knowing my luck we probably will as well.