During the past week, less than 5,000 people were affected by swine flu. The Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, said in a statement, “Levels of pandemic ‘flu are currently very low, virtually concluding the second wave of the infection in this country.”
He further informed that the hospitals still have 211 patients of swine flu in England out of which 62 are in critical beds. He also says that for most people it has been a serious illness but children and younger adults developed serious conditions.
In England alone, there have been 28 more swine flu deaths since the last set of figures were announced, making the total figure go up to 279. The total number of deaths across UK amount to
390.
Even children and pregnant women have died with swine flu. This includes 21 deaths in children below five years of age and 12 pregnant women. Adults above the age of 65 were less than a fifth of the totalswine flu deaths.
The reason for fewer deaths, in adults above 65 years of age, is that they develop immunity to previous pandemics during their lives.
People who died of swine flu in England had a moderate or severe underlying health condition.
Under the swine flu vaccination programme in England, 3.7 million jabs have been given to priority groups. These groups included 132,000 pregnant women and 214,000 healthy children in the new six months to five year old group.
Swine flu vaccine in four to seven months
New Delhi: India is at the forefront of developing a swine flu vaccine that will be available in "four to seven months", the government announced Friday as 96 new infections were reported.
Speaking to reporters here Friday, union Health Secretary Naresh Dayal said: "The process has been already set in motion and India is at the forefront of developing a vaccine."
"But the vaccine will be available by four to seven months from now," he added.
There is no known vaccine so far to tackle the virus that has infected over 700 people in the country so far.
Dayal said the World Health Organisation had given the "seed stock" of the influenza A (H1N1) virus to India.
The seed stock is the cultured virus, which has the highest vaccine immunity and is commonly present in majority of the affected cases. If the vaccine is developed from the seed virus then it is likely to be effective for other strains.
In India, three pharmaceutical companies - Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech and Panacea Biotech - are working on developing the vaccine.
The WHO is already collaborating with the Serum Institute of India for developing a seasonal flu vaccine.
Dayal said Serum Institute of India has made a lot of progress and started animal testing of the vaccine.
No need to panic over swine flu: Govt
As panic gripped people in the metros over swine flu and a record 96 new cases came up, the Indian government Friday assured that it was equipped to tackle the virus that has killed one and infected over 700 people so far in the country.
The government also announced a slew of steps to tackle the fast-spreading flu, including decentralising the drug supply and allowing accredited private laboratories to conduct the tests.
Union Health Secretary Naresh Dayal said the government is decentralising the availability of the Tamiflu drug in the country so that there is no paucity and is ready to allow accredited private laboratories to conduct the test to detect the virus provided they have the facilities.
"A lot of panic has been created in the last two days, especially since the death of the girl in Pune. There is no cause for people to go into panic mode," Dayal told a press conference here.
Rida Shaikh, 14, died in Pune Monday of swine flu, and health officials blamed the death to "delayed treatment".
Speaking to reporters here Friday, union Health Secretary Naresh Dayal said: "The process has been already set in motion and India is at the forefront of developing a vaccine."
"But the vaccine will be available by four to seven months from now," he added.
There is no known vaccine so far to tackle the virus that has infected over 700 people in the country so far.
Dayal said the World Health Organisation had given the "seed stock" of the influenza A (H1N1) virus to India.
The seed stock is the cultured virus, which has the highest vaccine immunity and is commonly present in majority of the affected cases. If the vaccine is developed from the seed virus then it is likely to be effective for other strains.
In India, three pharmaceutical companies - Serum Institute of India, Bharat Biotech and Panacea Biotech - are working on developing the vaccine.
The WHO is already collaborating with the Serum Institute of India for developing a seasonal flu vaccine.
Dayal said Serum Institute of India has made a lot of progress and started animal testing of the vaccine.
No need to panic over swine flu: Govt
As panic gripped people in the metros over swine flu and a record 96 new cases came up, the Indian government Friday assured that it was equipped to tackle the virus that has killed one and infected over 700 people so far in the country.
The government also announced a slew of steps to tackle the fast-spreading flu, including decentralising the drug supply and allowing accredited private laboratories to conduct the tests.
Union Health Secretary Naresh Dayal said the government is decentralising the availability of the Tamiflu drug in the country so that there is no paucity and is ready to allow accredited private laboratories to conduct the test to detect the virus provided they have the facilities.
"A lot of panic has been created in the last two days, especially since the death of the girl in Pune. There is no cause for people to go into panic mode," Dayal told a press conference here.
Rida Shaikh, 14, died in Pune Monday of swine flu, and health officials blamed the death to "delayed treatment".
