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No need to panic as swine flu hits
HEALTH chiefs have today (30 June) confirmed that three people have tested positive for swine flu in Peterborough – the first time the virus has struck the city.
HEALTH chiefs have today (30 June) confirmed that three people have tested positive for swine flu in Peterborough – the first time the virus has struck the city.However, mystery still surrounds how the three contracted the flu as bosses at NHS Peterborough – the city's primary care trust – said they were not in a position to reveal their ages or even which part of the city they lived in.
It is believed the cases were confirmed on Friday (26 June).
But people were urged not to panic and assured that "robust plans", including a stockpile of Tamiflu anti-viral drugs, were in place to deal with the outbreak.
Swine flu: local information and advice
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Dr Richard Spiers, medical director at NHS Peterborough, said: "I can confirm that three cases in Peterborough have tested positive for swine flu.
"They have mild symptoms and have all been given anti-viral drugs.
"NHS Peterborough has robust plans in place to tackle swine flu and our incident team meets daily to monitor the situation."
A spokesman for the Health Protection Agency said they couldn't comment on individual cases because of patient confidentiality.
However, he said people diagnosed with swine flu would undergo a process called "contact tracing", which is checking to see if the individuals had been in close contact with people who had the virus and have now recovered.
And Dr Spiers added: "We have plenty of stocks of Tamiflu and enough for the numbers of cases expected. We don't know what that number could be, but it could be a quarter or half of the people who come into contact with it. We don't know if the three people isolated themselves very quickly, as soon as they felt ill, which is what people tend to do. Generally, it is easy to contain these things. It's when people don't keep to hygiene rules when there could be an issue. What we know about this flu virus is that it is very, very catching, However, most people are not that ill with it.
"At the moment, what we would say to people is to get advice and they can be easily treated."
He said people who suspect they have swine flu should ring their GP instead of going to the surgery and keep away from people to isolate the spread.
A designated "flu friend", who is symptom-free, should collect medication by bringing along identification.
He said: "People should not go too close to them. It takes half an hour to an hour to catch it, you can't just walk past someone and get it.
"If people are frightened, they should keep away from people coughing and sneezing and get their GP's advice if they are not sure.
"People really shouldn't worry. People who tend to get it are younger people. Probably older people have met this sort of virus before."
He said the concern was for at risk groups, including children, those with chronic diabetes, asthma and bronchitis. There are no cases in Peterborough schools, he said.
Peterborough MP Stewart Jackson said he hadn’t been made aware of the cases, but added: “I trust the local health care services to deal efficiently with the outbreak and I would urge people concerned to seek professional advice at an early stage so it can be dealt with properly.
“There is no need to panic.”
And MP for North-West Cambridgeshire Shailesh Vara added: “I have been given assurances by the chief executive of NHS Peterborough that we have enough medication for the local community. It is important there is no panic.”
In May, Dr Spiers warned up to half of Peterborough’s population could get swine flu.
n The Evening Telegraph would like to speak to anyone affected by swine flu in Peterborough, please call Asha Mehta 01733 588732 or email asha.mehta@peterboroughtoday.co.uk
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Saturday 11 February 2012
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