Swine flu outbreak guidelines to be aired on TV

TV and radio advertisements detailing specific public information guidelines in the event of a major swine flu outbreak will be broadcast within the next fortnight, it has emerged.

Speaking at the Health Service Executive South regional health forum meeting yesterday , a HSE spokesperson explained that the move will take place by mid-August in an attempt to cope with the surging level of cases in Ireland.

The plan, which will act as the public’s first port of call for information on the virus, comes after seven language students aged between 14 and 17 are in quarantine at University College Dublin over fears that they have contracted swine flu.

The teenagers, from Italy, Spain and Russia, were part of a group of approximately 150 foreign students who have come to Ireland to study English.

At the latest swine flu information update meeting last night, the Department of Health confirmed that the teenagers were part of at least 60 more students on the campus who have complained of flu-like symptoms this week.

Of this group, 47 have been cleared by doctors while a further 10 are being assessed by a GP.

To date, 19 people have been hospitalised for swine flu in this country, while 1,500 have been diagnosed by GPs nationwide.

Two patients who contracted human swine flu are still being treated in intensive care units, with a Slovakian man in his 30s still “critically ill” in intensive care at St James’s Hospital, where he has been receiving treatment for more than a week.

As part of the HSE vaccination plans, which are due to begin in the autumn, the health authority has confirmed that some hospital services will have to be cut or delayed while midwives and nurses will be asked to retrain to cover GP-based vaccination units.

Meanwhile, US health advisors have said that at least half the US population should get vaccinated against swine flu over the coming months – resulting in the North American nation purchasing up to 160 million doses by mid-October.

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices call for the mass buying of the soon-to-be-developed drug could cause delays in other countries seeking to purchase the same medication.

The United States committee has recommended that pregnant women, people who care for babies and healthcare workers should be the first protected against the virus in the event that not enough is available.

Children between the ages of six months and four years have also been included in the group, but the vaccine has not been recommended for infants under six months of age.

People at risk of serious complications from catching the flu should follow the US recommendations stated, with asthma, diabetes and heart disease patients among the main priorities.

lThe Health Service Executive’s 24-hour flu information line is available on freephone 1800-941100.