Latest swine flu brieifng
29 April 2009
Swine flu briefing
28 April 2009, 2:30pm
LGA Key Messages
• The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 places a clear duty on councils to assess, plan, publish and inform the public about the risk of emergencies
• Therefore councils are well used to dealing with emergency situations and have tried and tested plans in place for pandemic flu
• Maintaining frontline services on which many vulnerable people rely, such as residential and nursing homes, are always a top priority, and councils have business continuity plans to maintain essential services should there be large staff absences
• Councils are already working with local organisations, through Local Resilience Forums and Strategic Coordination Groups, to ensure all relevant agencies play a role in implementing plans to deal with pandemic flu
• Councils already have plans to work with PCTs to identify and treat local people who contract flu, to take actions to prevent the spread of infection, to keep the public informed and to minimise wider social and economic disruption
• It is usually the responsibility of headteachers to decide whether or not to close a school, taking into account the Department for Children Schools and Families guidance about what to do in the event of a pandemic. However, the Secretary of State urged schools and children’s centres to carry on as normal and take their usual precautions against the spread of seasonal flu outbreaks and viral infections
• The local elections are going ahead as planned on 4 June
Current situation
• Cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection have been confirmed in Mexico, the US, Spain, Canada, Scotland, New Zealand and Israel. Further testing is underway on individuals or groups in Australia, Guatemala, Peru, South Korea and Brazil who fell ill following travel to Mexico
• Cases have presented with symptoms of influenza-like illness: fever, respiratory tract illness, headache and muscle aches. Some have presented with vomiting and diarrhea. Deaths have been reported in Mexico and an investigation by the US Center for Disease Control (CDC) suggests human-to-human transmission of swine flu
• No-one outside of Mexico has yet died, leading to suggestions that the severity of the cases there may be due to the strain mixing with a second unrelated virus circulating in the community. The coming days will be crucial in assessing the scale of the threat to the UK if people do contract swine flu
• There are two confirmed cases of swine flu in Scotland but both individuals are said to be recovering well from a mild case of the virus
• Secretary of State for Health, Alan Johnson, said that the government has established a stockpile of enough anti-virals to treat more than 33m people, half of the UK population, but there won’t be a vaccine for some time
World Health Organisation assessment
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) is the United Nations specialist agency for health. The Committee of the World Health Organisation met on 25 April and agreed that the current situation constitutes a public health emergency of international concern under the International Health Regulations 2005. All countries are asked to intensify surveillance for unusual outbreaks of influenza-like illness and severe pneumonia
• The WHO pandemic alert level is currently level 4, which means there is evidence of small clusters of swine flu with limited person-to-person transmission. This is two levels short of a pandemic and will be continuously monitored and updated
Advice to the public
• Although of concern, the events in Mexico are unusual. The UK government is closely monitoring the situation and bringing together key agencies to ensure an effective and efficient response
• People returning from a visit to an affected area are advised to monitor their health closely for seven days. If during this period they develop a feverish illness accompanied by one or more of a cough, sore throat, headache or muscle aches, they should stay at home and contact their GP by phone or seek advice from NHS Direct (0845 4647)
• At the moment advice is to be vigilant and take sensible precautions
• Good hygiene like using a tissue and washing hands thoroughly can help reduce transmission
• The Health Protection Agency is the lead agency responsible for providing public health advice to the Department of Health and supporting all aspects of the public health response to a flu pandemic
• Some press coverage is not surprisingly emphasising the potential risk of a flu pandemic: this is alarmist and it is important to note that there is currently no pandemic. This message is reinforced in an LGA press notice issued today
Preventing the spread of swine flu
• It is impossible to forecast the precise characteristics, spread and impact of a new influenza virus strain. Modelling suggests that from the time it begins in the country of origin it may take as little as two to four weeks to build from a few to around 1,000 cases. Once in the UK, it is likely to spread to all major population centres within one to two weeks, with its peak possibly only 50 days from initial entry. Previous flu pandemics (and this is not a pandemic) suggest that adults aged between 20 and 50 are disproportionately affected
• There is no scientific evidence to support more general wearing of masks to guard against infections, other than by those healthcare professionals caring for infected people
• Current information suggests that while the new variant human influenza virus may have originated in pigs, there is currently no evidence that it is circulating in pigs in USA or elsewhere. There is continual surveillance of pigs in this country
• Swine influenza cannot be transmitted by eating pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is perfectly safe
Travel advice
• The UK Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Mexico
• Britons visiting or resident in Mexico are being advised to consider leaving
• A number of countries in Asia, Latin America and Europe have begun screening airport passengers for symptoms, while Germany's biggest tour operator has suspended trips to Mexico
• People returning from a visit to an affected area are advised to monitor their health closely for seven days. If during this period they develop a feverish illness accompanied by one or more of a cough, sore throat, headache or muscle aches, they should stay at home and contact their GP by phone or seek advice from NHS Direct (0845 4647)
LGA’s role
• The LGA will regularly update this briefing so that councils have the latest information about the international, national and local response to swine flu
• The LGA is representing the local government sector in meetings with government and health professionals
Further information:
• Health Protection Agency http://www.hpa.org.uk/
• Department of Health http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/index.htm
• NHS Direct http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/
• Foreign and Commonwealth Office http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/
• World Health Organisation http://www.who.int/en/
• DCSF Guidance for schools about flu pandemics http://www.teachernet.gov.uk/emergencies/planning/flupandemic/