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Private GP Services Newsletter
Tamiflu &
Bird Flu Update
Just in case you thought the lack of news coverage meant the problem had gone away.......
There have been several developments in the UK with regard to the threat of a bird flu pandemic and we like to keep our patients up to date with these
All poultry workers in the UK are to be offered standard seasonal flu vaccine by the NHS. This is a precautionary measure to reduce the risk of a poultry worker catching "normal" flu at the same time as bird flu. Such a situation would create the very sinister risk of a new and potentially even more dangerous flu virus emerging as the two forms of flu virus would have the opportunity to combine.
Over 60 000 workers are to be called up in this vaccination campaign: the government is clearly taking the risks of a bird flu epidemic seriously.
So seriously in fact that Exercise Winter Willow is the code name for a UK wide influenza pandemic planning exercise taking place on 30th January and 19-20th February. The governments plan is to assess national, regional and local responses to 2 scenarios : a level 2 alert ( when pandemic flu cases are first identified in the UK) and a level 4 alert ( where cases are widespread).
In addition, news from the pharmaceutical industry suggests that supplies of the raw materials to make the anti flu drug Tamiflu cannot be stepped up in the event of a flu pandemic and would in fact run out very rapidly. Some authorities suggest that once a flu pandemic breaks out no more tamiflu would be manufactured, making the existing resources very precious.
An article published in the Archives of Internal Medicine this month confirms what many patients report: having a seasonal flu jab seems to boost your general resistance to illness through the winter. This study looked at over 17000 patients taken into hospital with pneumonia and found that after all other differences between the patients were accounted for, patients who had received a flu jab were less likely to die in hospital from ANY cause compared to patients who had not.
The authors of this large study point out that this is an important additional benefit to flu vaccination.
So what are you all waiting for......... we still have seasonal flu vaccine in stock and some reserves of Tamiflu. Our tamiflu has an expiry date in 2010 so offering you the best available protection in a flu pandemic for more than 3 years.
Don't wait till there is a panic: be prepared, keep well and make an appointment to see us.
Happy New Year!
Appointments at Springfield Hospital : 01245 234134
Appointments at Chelmsford Medical Centre @ Fenton House: 01245 253777
