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Swindon PCT are working closely with NHS South West and the Health Protection Agency to ensure we act on the latest information and with local partner organisations to ensure effective co-ordination.

Health Secretary Andy Burnham has announced the priority groups for vaccination against swine flu, following advice from independent scientific expert committees, including the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).

The priority groups are:

Individuals aged six months and up to 65 years in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups.  All pregnant women, subject to licensing considerations on trimesters.  Household contacts of immunocompromised individuals.  People aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups
These groups should be prioritised for vaccination in order, once the vaccine has been licensed. Frontline health and social care workers will be offered the vaccine at the same time as the first clinical risk group.

Our Advice 

We continue to advise everyone to follow good hygiene practices, including hand-washing and the ‘CATCH IT, BIN IT, KILL IT’ principles for coughs and sneezes. 

Reduce the risk of catching or spreading flu

CATCH IT - Always carry tissues and use them to catch your cough or sneeze. Always cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.

BIN IT - Germs can live for several hours on tissues. Dispose of your tissue as soon as possible.

KILL IT - Hands transfer germs to everything you touch. Dispose of dirty tissues promptly and carefully. Wash you hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of germs. Clean hard surfaces (e.g. door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product.

If you experience a sudden fever, cough or shortness of breath or have a headache, sore throat, tiredness, aching muscles, chills, sneezing, runny nose or loss of appetite you may have swine flu. 
For most people this is a mild illness and you should start to feel better after a few days without needing to go to your GP or A&E.

Not spreading the virus is everyone’s responsibility. The best thing you can do is stay at home, rest, drink plenty of fluids and take over-the-counter flu remedies to help relieve the symptoms.  It is particularly important that you talk to your doctor if you think you have swine flu and are pregnant, very young, over 65, or have long-term conditions such as asthma or diabetes

If you feel very unwell
Check your symptoms online at www.nhs.uk

If you think that you have swine flu, you will be treated quickly by staying at home and phoning NHS Direct or your GP. If you do have suspected swine flu and prescribed an antiviral, your GP will arrange for your flu friend to pick up the prescription on your behalf. Help us to contain the virus by staying at home and not spreading it.

Swine flu may become a pandemic in the UK over the coming months, so now is the time to identify a network of flu friends. There is no way of telling who will catch the flu, so it is important to be aware and to plan ahead. If you are ill with swine flu it is important that you do not go out because you might spread the illness to others. Ask a flu friend to go out for you.

A flu friend can be relatives, neighbours or friends who will collect medicines, food and other supplies for you if you get swine flu, so that you do not have to leave home. Preventing people who may be suffering from swine flu from having to go outdoors will help restrict the potential spread of flu to others.

You can download the leaflet by clicking on the picture opposite......

Need the leaflet in other languages or formats, you can find it here?

More information is available on the following websites:

Health Protection Agency www.hpa.org.uk/swineflu
World Health organisation http://www.who.int/en/
Foreign & Commonwealth Office www.fco.gov.uk

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