Pandemic Advice- Swine Flu

With the media storm and official concerns about the potential of the swine flu / influenza A(H1N1) to spark a global pandemic, it is important to find out about the simple steps you can take to help protect yourself and others. We have also provided links to reliable further sources of information and the latest official advice.

We are currently experiencing a high demand for Tamiflu -
Check Stock Levels.

Tamiflu

30 April 2009 -- From today, WHO will refer to the new influenza virus as influenza A(H1N1). The World Health Organisation announced that it would no longer use the phrase 'swine flu' due to misconceptions about the role of pigs in the outbreak. A link which is causing problems for the agricultural industry and needlessly causing countries to order the slaughter of pigs.

Top Five Essential Things You Can Do To Avoid Getting Sick And Avoid Infecting Others.

These critical tips are widely agreed upon by the World Health Organization, The NHS and other health experts.

1. Wash Your Hands

The best thing anyone can do is to wash their hands. It may sounds stupidly simple, but frequent hand-washing helps prevent the spread of any airborne respiratory disease. It's the droplets from coughing and sneezing that spread the disease. These get on our hands. And then everything we touch is infectious.

Wash your hands

Before eating
After using the bathroom
After using a tissue or covering your mouth when you sneeze or cough, sick or not

How you do it is also important.

Use warm or hot water if you can
Lather up and rub not just your fingers and palms but also under the fingernails, around the wrists and between the fingers
Rinse well

2. Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze

Influenza is spread with droplets that come out of your mouth or nose when you cough or sneeze. Ideally use a tissues and wash you hands after you use tissues so you don't reinfect everything you touch afterward. If you don’t have a tissue handy, sneeze into your elbow.

Surgical face masks are also an option for keeping your droplets to yourself, but they don't keep your hands clean and there is no consensus in the health care community on whether face masks are advisable for everyday use.

3. Don't touch your face.

Try to avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth as these are direct routes to the bloodstream.

4. Stay Home

If you're sick, stay home. Ring your GP for advice rather than going to the surgery and risking infecting others.