Severe flu cases in UK serve as warning to Europe

[Shiloh]

Source: http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE6BK5JM20101221

Severe flu cases in UK serve as warning to Europe
By Kate Kelland

LONDON | Tue Dec 21, 2010 7:21pm GMT

LONDON (Reuters) - More than 300 people are in intensive care in hospitals across Britain with flu, and European health officials say the region should act now to encourage more people to get vaccinated...

...Angus Nicoll, a flu specialist at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), which monitors disease in the region, said the situation in the UK was as he had expected for flu season, but should nevertheless serve as a warning to other countries in Europe to prepare themselves.

"Usually flu moves from west to east in Europe....so the fact that it's starting in a western country is not that surprising, but it's quite useful," he said in a telephone interview from Stockholm, where the ECDC is based.

"This is an indication of what we are likely to be seeing in other parts of Europe not too long from now..."

 

[Giuseppe]

Re: Severe flu cases in UK serve as warning to Europe

For comparison with the current situation, this is an excerpt from last year December UK HPA update:

Source: http://www.hpa.org.uk/webw/HPAweb&HPAwebStandard/HPAweb_C/1259152420791?p=1231252394302

Disease severity continues to be monitored. The disease is generally mild in most people so far, but is proving severe in a small minority of cases.

* Swine flu hospitalisations in England: 454 patients (currently hospitalised as of 8am on 23 December). The number of hospitalised patients is now declining.
* Deaths - the number of deaths related to swine flu in England as of 17 December is 203 (This figure represents the number of deaths in individuals with swine flu but does not represent the number of deaths that can be attributed to swine flu). There will be an updated deaths figure in the briefing on Thursday 7 January 2010.

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[Pathfinder]

Re: Severe flu cases in UK serve as warning to Europe

<DD class="date published">Health experts say UK's surge in flu cases could be replicated across Europe</DD>



<DD class="date published">Published on January 7th, 2011


<DD class="date published">LONDON - European health officials are warning that the swine flu outbreak that appears to be spiking in Britain could soon spread to the rest of the continent.

The annual flu season struck the U.K. early this year, with cases surging last month and doubling almost every week.

The predominant strain infecting people is swine flu, which was responsible for the 2009 pandemic. Unlike most flu viruses, swine flu mostly affects people under 65 and many of its victims are previously healthy younger people with no underlying problems.

In Britain, a vaccine shortage is forcing authorities to resort to leftover shots from last year's swine flu pandemic. Some hospitals have been forced to cancel elective surgeries to accommodate extra flu patients.

Health officials say the European continent should pay attention to what's happening in Britain.

More...
http://www.thetelegram.com/News/Can...flu-cases-could-be-replicated-across-Europe/1

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