New UK Swine flu epidemic fear as hospital admissions soar by 250 per cent in a week

Seems like we could be in for a sickly new year. Although I have to admit I prefer the Tories much lower profile approach to swine flu. Would you get the JAB ? www.dailymail.co.uk...

Fears of a swine flu epidemic have grown after figures revealed the number of seriously ill patients being treated in hospital for influenza has surged by 250 per cent in a week in the worst outbreak for 20 years.

Eighteen adults and nine children have died from flu this winter.

Some hospital trusts are starting to cancel operations to leave beds empty to make way for a surge in flu cases, with one leading Department of Health official warning of potential shortages in the antiviral drug TamifluThe Department of Health figures reveal the extent of the worsening crisis and show that the number of critical care beds being used by flu patients has risen by more than
half in three days.

On Friday, the Government confirmed there were 460 patients with suspected or confirmed flu in hos¬pitals across England, compared with 302 on Tuesday and 182 at the end of last week.

Normally the worst cases of flu are seen in those over the age of 65. But the vast majority this year, 366, are patients aged between 16 and 64, while 43 are children, with 26 below the age of five.


Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...

Im glad my kids are now over 5.

EXPERTS CALL FOR ALL UNDER-FIVES TO BE VACCINATED AGAINST SWINE FLU


Read more: www.express.co.uk... vaccinated-against-swine-flu-#ixzz19DILglVn

HEALTH experts are calling for a mass inoculation of babies and children against swine flu.

A panel of influenza specialists, which advises the Government on vaccine policy, has proposed that the jab be given to children aged between six months and five years.

However, the news has alarmed health campaigners who point out that the vaccine has not been given proper safety tests in children.


Read more: www.express.co.uk... vaccinated-against-swine-flu-#ixzz19DInuyxr

I'm at work right now (hospital pharmacy) and for the fifth night in a row we had almost twice as many discharges as admissions. It's so slow I want to cry. We're down something like 60% for admissions from this time frame last year. We're the only hospital in the county. It's not a small county, either.

Then again I'm in the middle of New York, not England.

Maybe we'll get lucky this year. Health wise, anyway. Looks like this place is going to have to start laying people off.

reply to post by Magnivea

Come to the UK our hospitals are choc a block especially at weekends with drink related admissions. Its interesting that the new swine flu out break seems to be worst here in the UK. Of course with the world the way it is today if this does spread you will soon have a busy hospital again. I wonder if there is a link with the extremely cold winter we are having and the new cases of swine flu occurring here in the UK.

Thanks for the post: I still believe the flu virus is the "human" manufactured trigger... The "prevention" vacine is the thing to worry about... Whats in it ? O yes yes can google it and see what its made up of. "Read & Believe" Yeah rite... But it doesnt work !! Nor does tamiflu !! It just makes some people a lot of $$$'s Good Luck folks

There's absolutely nooooooo way they're giving my little one the swine flu vaccination, they can pin me down and beat me with sticks for all I care.

Originally posted by KatieVA
There's absolutely nooooooo way they're giving my little one the swine flu vaccination, they can pin me down and beat me with sticks for all I care.

As a parent I share your concern over this vaccine although if your child heaven forbid was taken ill there is a point where you will do anything for them. And that was where we found ourselves last year with my daughter who was sent home early from school because she had suddenly become unwell ( although I think the school was in a swine flu tizzy at the time). We got her home and my wife phoned a doctor who over the phone diagnosed her 100% with having swine flu.This was before the automated phone line had been set up. She did have an upset stomach which seems to be one of the symptoms that points towards swine flu. Anyway he prescribed tamiflu and It seemed to work because she was a lot better by the next day. I was very concerned about her taking the tamiflu however until you are in a position with a sick child that is getting worse by the minute you won't really know how you will react.

I have to admit that this year we seem (from my limited perspective) to be experiencing a deluge of different bugs floating around. Over the last 8-10 weeks most of the people I know seem to be going jumping one bug to another with little or no reprieve in-between..

Originally posted by tarifa37

Originally posted by KatieVA
There's absolutely nooooooo way they're giving my little one the swine flu vaccination, they can pin me down and beat me with sticks for all I care.

As a parent I share your concern over this vaccine although if your child heaven forbid was taken ill there is a point where you will do anything for them. And that was where we found ourselves last year with my daughter who was sent home early from school because she had suddenly become unwell ( although I think the school was in a swine flu tizzy at the time). We got her home and my wife phoned a doctor who over the phone diagnosed her 100% with having swine flu.This was before the automated phone line had been set up. She did have an upset stomach which seems to be one of the symptoms that points towards swine flu. Anyway he prescribed tamiflu and It seemed to work because she was a lot better by the next day. I was very concerned about her taking the tamiflu however until you are in a position with a sick child that is getting worse by the minute you won't really know how you will react.

I agree, I don't know how I'd react if he were to get really ill. I just don't trust vaccinations, especially the swine flu vaccination. I feel like whichever decision I make, I will be letting my son down - it's so hard

We can take precautionary measures which would help reduce the impact of infection. The most obvious is to increase vit C intake, but make sure it's natural plant based instead of manmade. Rosehip syrup if you can find a stockist. Weight for weight rosehips contain upto 20 times more vit c than oranges. I made my own this autumn but all the hips are gone of the bushes now, at least here in the U.K. Drink daily fruit juices, eat raw onions and garlic, you'll just have to stink for winter. Increase zinc intake as well, easiest to buy zinc tablets. A good immune system reinforcer.

yea, got a bad flu last fall and I seemed to have it until May off and on ...I never went to the doctor and had it checked. I am feeling pretty good now but we have a mild flu bug going around now here in the Roanoke, VA area...

I'm just getting over swine flu. I have NEVER been in bed for four days with flu and had such a nasty persistent cough combined. 12 day on I am up and about and can get on with life as normal but I am still clearing it off my chest. One thing of interest, I went completely off food and even now, am struggling to get my appetite back. When this hit my workplace, within 24 hours, there were at least a dozen people coughing with it.

Stupidly, someone I know told me I didn't have flu because coughs don't go with flu. I coudln't be bothered to argue with him about the fact that one of the marked features of swine flu was its ability to get deep into the lungs with the infection.

By the way, last year nealry every hospital admission with swine flu had other underlying health issues. This year, half are completely healthy.

I also don't get flu shots, for myself or for my girls. The shots contain live, weakened viruses from a few different strains of flu, but not for many. If you don't contract the right strain of flu, then your flu shot will be ineffective. The shots also contain mercury and alluminum, and are thought to contribute to Alzheimer's when taken consecutively for several years. I try to stay away from people with flu like symptoms and practice good hand washing...I haven't had the flu in years, and no shots since I was a kid and my mom made me. Lol.

Originally posted by tarifa37
reply to post by Magnivea

 

Come to the UK our hospitals are choc a block especially at weekends with drink related admissions. Its interesting that the new swine flu out break seems to be worst here in the UK. Of course with the world the way it is today if this does spread you will soon have a busy hospital again. I wonder if there is a link with the extremely cold winter we are having and the new cases of swine flu occurring here in the UK.

If it was related to the cold weather, we would be seeing it in Canada too. So far, we've heard nothing about a flu, and I just google Canada flu dec 2010, and all it said was that the flu is in the UK. Nothing here yet.

Up your vitamin D levels, when it's cold like this, people are too covered up to get the vitamin D from the sun. I guess that does make it cold related a bit - too many clothes on and too much indoor time.

Not exactly encouraging news,

Britain on course for flu epidemic

Britain is on course for its first flu epidemic for more than a decade, according to the Government scientific data. The level of influenza – including the swine flu strain – in the population is now higher – and rising more sharply – than they were at this point in 1999, when the country was heading for an epidemic which triggered a major NHS crisis.

With millions of people visiting friends and family over the Christmas period experts believe that the rate could reach epidemic levels within a week.

The number of flu victims in intensive care has more than doubled in one week, with 460 patients now in critical care beds.

Meanwhile, a Government memo is warning of shortages of Tamiflu – the main drug used to treat flu patients – in some parts of the country.

The rate of flu in England and Wales is 87.1 cases per 100,000 of the population, a rate which has tripled in seven days.

Read more www.telegraph.co.uk...

We had the worst kind of flu epidemic here in the Midwest last month, that virus was bound to travel and I would say is the same thing, no one seemed to escape it. Could this be some way to get people to bone up on the flu vaccines?

See the WHO said that this would turn into a epidemic last time but it never, so do we listen this time?

IMHO i think that this will, because of the cold weather the UK is having now, and I mean bloody cold! Its alot easier for this virus to travel and mutate.

So the morale.... Be prepared.

reply to post by Ibex08


The weather in the UK is going to change in the next couple of days we should see 10 degrees in places.www.theweatheroutlook.com...

Not only a UK problem, cold weather also being blamed for an outbreak of swine flu in Srilanka

Swine flu claims 22 lives in Sri Lanka(AFP) – 2 hours ago www.google.com...

COLOMBO — Swine flu in Sri Lanka has killed 22 people and infected more than 300 over the past two months, the island's health ministry said Monday.

Official figures showed that 22 people infected with H1N1 -- swine flu -- had died since October 25 while 342 cases were reported during this period.

"The strain of influenza affects peoples' lungs and triggers off a strain of viral pneumonia. The heavy rains and the cold weather helped spread the virus," government epidemiologist Sudath Peiris said.

The ministry urged people to avoid crowded places and ordered those managing public phone booths to disinfect them at least eight times daily.

I wlll not have the vaccine, period.

There are other natural things worth lookiing into, most of which would be fine for children as well

Some suggestions to research:

Vitamin D
Bicarbonate of soda
Vitamin C
Apple cider vinegar
A zapper

There's also an excellent website where people share information about natural remedies. www.earthclinic.com