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Swine Flu - A Threat To The World By: Jolly Anderson
Today there has been much speculation that the World Health Organisation is extremely close to declaring swine flu to have become a pandemic. The organisation experts are today meeting in Geneva to assess the spread of the virus so far. Their meeting confirmed that there is evidence that the flu is freely spreading amongst the population on more than one continent. The alert level has therefore been raised from a 5 to the highest possible point, 6, making swine flu the first pandemic in 41 years.
It had already been confirmed that there has been spread amongst communities in the Americas, the original point where the virus was first identified. Now the organisation’s experts have been deeply alarmed by a marked growth in reported cases in Europe and Australia. Last week there was a four-fold increase in confirmed cases of the virus in Australia, with a number of people being admitted to intensive care. In the UK more cases are being diagnosed each day, with some experts expressing the belief that the number of undiagnosed cases is far higher. Margaret Chan, director of the WHO, said she had been waiting for “indisputable” proof that the virus was spreading across continents freely before making the announcement.
Dr Chan said that the world should be prepared for more deaths from the virus, adding that even those countries who had already experience the first wave of infections should prepare themselves for the second. However she said there was reason to be optimistic: “No previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely right at the beginning”.
While declaring pandemic status is unlikely to have much of an impact on the general public, it is likely to encourage governments to take extreme measures to protect the population. These might include buying more anti-viral medications, ordering more production of the vaccine currently being made, or imposing a ban on travel. The UK government decided to buy Tamiflu many years ago as a precaution, but many people are still afraid that there will not be enough for all, leading them to buy Tamiflu privately.
The U.K government has already stockpiled massive amounts of the anti-viral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza, both of which are believed to lessen the symptoms and when taken early prevent infection if someone has been exposed. There are also hopes that a vaccine against the virus may be developed in time for winter flu season. Pharmaceutical company Novartis announced today that it had produced the first batch of a vaccine for the strain of virus that triggered the outbreak, AH1N1. Clinical trials are set to begin in July and a license applied for in Autumn. A variety of other manufacturers, including GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis and Solvay S.A have also said that they are ready to being production of vaccines to protect against swine flu and have received orders for when the vaccines are ready.
Andy Burnham, the newly appointed Health Secretary, said that it was “sod’s law” that a pandemic was declared in his first week on the job. However, he was confident that the UK is well placed to deal with the crisis. “ It’s not a cause for alarm because it doesn’t change the plans we’ve got in place. We have planned very well in this country – it’s a source of pride to people,” he told health managers at the NHS Confederation conference yesterday. “It’s vitally important that the NHS continues its preparations for a possible pandemic to increasing autonomy should not weaken the bonds that make us strong.”
Jolly Anderson is a well known phrmacist. He has written many Articles on the base of Flu. He reommends you to visit http://www.theonlineclinic.co.uk/ for Relenza and Tamiflu.
It had already been confirmed that there has been spread amongst communities in the Americas, the original point where the virus was first identified. Now the organisation’s experts have been deeply alarmed by a marked growth in reported cases in Europe and Australia. Last week there was a four-fold increase in confirmed cases of the virus in Australia, with a number of people being admitted to intensive care. In the UK more cases are being diagnosed each day, with some experts expressing the belief that the number of undiagnosed cases is far higher. Margaret Chan, director of the WHO, said she had been waiting for “indisputable” proof that the virus was spreading across continents freely before making the announcement.
Dr Chan said that the world should be prepared for more deaths from the virus, adding that even those countries who had already experience the first wave of infections should prepare themselves for the second. However she said there was reason to be optimistic: “No previous pandemic has been detected so early or watched so closely right at the beginning”.
While declaring pandemic status is unlikely to have much of an impact on the general public, it is likely to encourage governments to take extreme measures to protect the population. These might include buying more anti-viral medications, ordering more production of the vaccine currently being made, or imposing a ban on travel. The UK government decided to buy Tamiflu many years ago as a precaution, but many people are still afraid that there will not be enough for all, leading them to buy Tamiflu privately.
The U.K government has already stockpiled massive amounts of the anti-viral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza, both of which are believed to lessen the symptoms and when taken early prevent infection if someone has been exposed. There are also hopes that a vaccine against the virus may be developed in time for winter flu season. Pharmaceutical company Novartis announced today that it had produced the first batch of a vaccine for the strain of virus that triggered the outbreak, AH1N1. Clinical trials are set to begin in July and a license applied for in Autumn. A variety of other manufacturers, including GlaxoSmithKline, Sanofi-Aventis and Solvay S.A have also said that they are ready to being production of vaccines to protect against swine flu and have received orders for when the vaccines are ready.
Andy Burnham, the newly appointed Health Secretary, said that it was “sod’s law” that a pandemic was declared in his first week on the job. However, he was confident that the UK is well placed to deal with the crisis. “ It’s not a cause for alarm because it doesn’t change the plans we’ve got in place. We have planned very well in this country – it’s a source of pride to people,” he told health managers at the NHS Confederation conference yesterday. “It’s vitally important that the NHS continues its preparations for a possible pandemic to increasing autonomy should not weaken the bonds that make us strong.”
Jolly Anderson is a well known phrmacist. He has written many Articles on the base of Flu. He reommends you to visit http://www.theonlineclinic.co.uk/ for Relenza and Tamiflu.
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