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Half of all Scottish casualty units lack bird flu medicines
By Judith Duffy, Health Correspondent
Survey reveals poor state of preparedness
HALF OF accident and emergency departments in Scotland do not have supplies of anti-viral drugs available to deal with a patient suspected of having a deadly strain of bird flu.
A new survey of casualty units across the country has revealed that not all are yet fully prepared to deal with a suspected case of influenza H5N1, a scenario which could arise in people returning from a visit to another infected country or those who have had contact with a sick bird within the UK.
Guidelines issued on dealing with the situation in hospitals recommend that the patient should be immediately isolated to a side room and treatment started with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu as soon as possible.
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Health workers are also advised to wear a mask, gowns, gloves and eye protection and be treated with the drug as soon as possible if they are in contact with the patient.
The survey, which has been published by the Emergency Medicine Journal, found that only 30% of casualty departments said access to Tamiflu was available; a further 50% indicated it was not available and 20% did not know what the situation was.
While the majority - 68% of departments - said that they did have supplies of the recommended masks available, nearly a third (32%) did not.
Most departments - a total of 70% - had a side room which could be used for isolation, although the study notes that a lack of these facilities in smaller hospitals is of concern, as the scenario of a patient requiring treatment after contact with an infected wild bird could arise in a rural area.
A year ago this week, the H5N1 virus was detected for the first time in the UK in a swan in Cellardyke, Fife, although tests later revealed it had come from abroad. In February this year, nearly 160,000 birds on a Bernard Matthews turkey farm in Suffolk were slaughtered after an outbreak of the virus.
While the H5N1 virus is far more of a threat to birds than humans in the UK, experts fear that it is the most likely candidate to trigger a global outbreak of highly infectious flu in humans. According to the World Health Organisation, 150 people have died from H5N1 to date, mainly from close contact with infected birds.
A Scottish Executive spokesman said it had stockpiled 1.3 million doses of Tamiflu, enough to treat the one in four of the population which is anticipated would be affected in a flu pandemic.
http://www.sundayherald.com/news/he...sh_casualty_units_lack_bird_flu_medicines.php
By Judith Duffy, Health Correspondent
Survey reveals poor state of preparedness
A new survey of casualty units across the country has revealed that not all are yet fully prepared to deal with a suspected case of influenza H5N1, a scenario which could arise in people returning from a visit to another infected country or those who have had contact with a sick bird within the UK.
Guidelines issued on dealing with the situation in hospitals recommend that the patient should be immediately isolated to a side room and treatment started with the anti-viral drug Tamiflu as soon as possible.
<script language="JavaScript"> <!-- OAS_AD('Frame2'); //--> </script>
Health workers are also advised to wear a mask, gowns, gloves and eye protection and be treated with the drug as soon as possible if they are in contact with the patient.
The survey, which has been published by the Emergency Medicine Journal, found that only 30% of casualty departments said access to Tamiflu was available; a further 50% indicated it was not available and 20% did not know what the situation was.
While the majority - 68% of departments - said that they did have supplies of the recommended masks available, nearly a third (32%) did not.
Most departments - a total of 70% - had a side room which could be used for isolation, although the study notes that a lack of these facilities in smaller hospitals is of concern, as the scenario of a patient requiring treatment after contact with an infected wild bird could arise in a rural area.
A year ago this week, the H5N1 virus was detected for the first time in the UK in a swan in Cellardyke, Fife, although tests later revealed it had come from abroad. In February this year, nearly 160,000 birds on a Bernard Matthews turkey farm in Suffolk were slaughtered after an outbreak of the virus.
While the H5N1 virus is far more of a threat to birds than humans in the UK, experts fear that it is the most likely candidate to trigger a global outbreak of highly infectious flu in humans. According to the World Health Organisation, 150 people have died from H5N1 to date, mainly from close contact with infected birds.
A Scottish Executive spokesman said it had stockpiled 1.3 million doses of Tamiflu, enough to treat the one in four of the population which is anticipated would be affected in a flu pandemic.
http://www.sundayherald.com/news/he...sh_casualty_units_lack_bird_flu_medicines.php