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News Desk
The swine flue pandemic is now with us, with over 100,000 new cases of the severe flu strain expected to be the rate of infections in a few months.
The media was ignoring the gradual rise of the swine until a report by the London Daily News on 23 June reported that around 1000 cases of the flu were confirmed in London and the numbers were expected to grown rapidly with the onset of the winter.
The Health Secretary Andy Burnham told the House of Commons yesterday "public health officials had switched tactics from attempting to contain the H1N1 to coping with the its inevitable spread with the number of cases soon likely to exceed those typically recorded for seasonal flu in winter".
"Cases are doubling every week and on this trend we could see over 100,000 cases per day by the end of August".
The FT has reported that "The shift in policy means that Tamiflu, the leading antiviral drug, will now be more easily available, with doctors prescribing it based on diagnosis in their clinics. Previously the H1N1 infection had to be confirmed with a laboratory test. Officials have now abandoned “contact tracing”, an attempt to limit the infection’s spread and build a more detailed picture of it. "
The government has already stock piled enough immunisation to treat every person in the country if required with initial deliveries expected at the end of this month. By the end of the year there should be sufficient stocks to provide the first of two injections needed.
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