Dr Andrea Atherton, Director of Public Health, NHS South East Essex said: “We do know that the infection is generally mild, although some people will experience more severe symptoms. The bottom line is that not getting vaccinated means you’re taking a risk with your own health, and the health of others.

If you are eligible for the vaccine but think you have already had swine flu it is still important you get vaccinated as there are many flu viruses circulating and you may have had one of the seasonal flu viruses rather than the swine flu virus.

There have been some scare stories in the press so I’d like to reassure people that the swine flu vaccine is safe and that if you are eligible for the seasonal jab too, it is safe to have the swine flu vaccine at the same time as a seasonal flu jab.

“Everyone can help reduce the spread of the swine flu virus by maintaining good hygiene and remembering to ‘Catch it, Bin it, Kill it.”

If you think that you may have swine flu, you should contact National Pandemic Flu Service for assessment, which is available on 0800 1513 100, or use the online service at: www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu

The following groups will be prioritised for the swine flu vaccine in the following order:

• People aged over six months and under 65 years in current seasonal flu vaccine ‘at-risk’ groups.
• All pregnant women.
• Household contacts of immunocompromised people, e.g. people in regular close contact with patients on treatment for cancer.
• People aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine ‘at-risk’ groups

Do NOT visit your GP surgery, walk-in centre or A&E or any hospital – unless there is a serious emergency or advised to do so by a health professional.

Call the National Pandemic Flu Line for assessment on 0800 1 513 100, or use the online service at: www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu. Anti viral medication will be made available where required.

You should call your GP directly if:

• you have a serious underlying illness
• you are pregnant
• you have a sick child under one year old
• your condition suddenly gets much worse
• your condition is still getting worse after 7 days (or 5 days for a child)

What is swine flu and how is it different from ordinary flu?
Swine Flu is a respiratory disease and has some elements of a virus found in pigs. There is no evidence of this disease circulating in pigs in the UK and scientists continue to investigate its origins.

Pandemic flu is different from ordinary flu because it’s a new flu virus that appears in humans and spreads very quickly from person to person worldwide. Because it’s a new virus, no one will have immunity to it and everyone could be at risk of catching it. This includes healthy adults as well as young children and those with existing medical conditions such as diabetes, asthma or heart conditions.

How does Swine Flu spread?
Flu viruses are made up of tiny particles that can be spread through the droplets that come out of your nose and mouth, when you cough or sneeze.

When you cough or sneeze without covering your nose and mouth with a tissue, those droplets can spread and others will be at risk of breathing them in and catching the virus.

If you cough or sneeze into your hand, those droplets and the germs in them are then easily spread from your hand to any hard surfaces that you touch, and they can live on those surfaces for some time. Everyday items such as door handles, computer keyboards, mobile and ordinary phones and the TV remote control are all common surfaces where flu viruses can be found.

If other people touch these surfaces and then touch their faces, the germs can enter their systems and they can become infected. That’s how all cold and flu viruses, including Swine Flu , are passed on from person to person.

What are the symptoms of Swine Flu ?
Some of the symptoms can include:
The sudden onset of fever, cough or shortness of breath

Other symptoms can include:
Headache, sore throat, tiredness, aching muscles, chills, sneezing, runny nose or loss of appetite.

What should I do if I have flu-like symptoms and am concerned that I may have Swine Flu ?
You should:
• Stay at home and check your symptoms at the National Flu Pandemic Service (www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu)

You should call your GP directly if:
• you have a serious underlying illness
• you are pregnant
• you have a sick child under one year old
• your condition suddenly gets much worse
• your condition is still getting worse after seven days (or five days for a child)

What is the National Pandemic Flu Service?
The National Pandemic Flu Service is a self-care service that will assess your symptoms and, if required, provide an authorisation number which can be used to collect antiviral medication from a local collection point.

The website address for the National Pandemic Flu Service is:
www.direct.gov.uk/pandemicflu

For those who do not have internet access, the same service can be accessed by telephone on:
Telephone: 0800 1 513 100  or minicom: 0800 1 153 200

What are antivirals and what do they do?
Antiviral drugs are not a cure, but they help you to recover better if your symptoms are severe.  They must be taken within 48 hours of symptoms developing and they work by:
• Relieving some of the symptoms.
• Reducing the length of time you are ill by around one day.
• Reducing the potential for serious complications, such as pneumonia.

What can I do to protect myself and others?
The best thing you can do to protect yourself is to follow good hygiene practices. These will help to slow the spread of the virus and will be the single most effective thing you can do to protect yourself and others, from infection.

When you cough or sneeze it is especially important to follow the rules of good hygiene to prevent the spread of germs:
• Always carry tissues.
• Use clean tissues to cover your mouth and
nose when you cough and sneeze.
• Bin the tissues after one use.
• Wash your hands with soap and hot water or a sanitiser gel, often.

There is a simple way to remember this:

‘CATCH IT, BIN IT, KILL IT’

What else can I do?
There are some other useful actions you can take now to prepare in case Swine Flu becomes more widespread:

Set up a network of ‘flu friends’
Flu friends are neighbours, friends and relatives who can help you if you get ill. For example, they could collect medicines, food and other supplies for you, so that you don’t have to leave home if you are ill.

Keep up to date with the latest information on
If Swine Flu spreads, you need to keep informed so that you know what else you can do to protect yourself and your family. As the situation changes, you should keep up to date by watching TV, listening to the radio, checking the internet and looking out for announcements in the press.

You can also prepare by:
• Learning to recognise the symptoms of Swine Flu
• Keeping paracetomol-based cold remedies in the house
• Having a thermometer available so you can check your temperature if needed

If you have elderly or vulnerable neighbours, please check on them.  They may need your help but be reluctant to ask for it. It is important that you do what you can to help.

Does the NHS have the capacity to cope with this pandemic?
The Government and the NHS has been preparing for a pandemic for a number of years.  Robust plans are in place, recognised by the World Health Organisation as among the strongest in the world.

All NHS organisations, including NHS South East Essex, has detailed plans in place to manage emergency situations (or major incidents) which include; outbreaks, epidemic and pandemic situations. The plans are rigorously tried and tested, with regularity. Our staff undertake exercises which provide active ‘scenario situations’ and will often involve other local and/or regional, public sector bodies, such as; local authorities; the police; social care; and education. This enables us to develop more cohesive and integrated approaches to working together with public sector colleagues, in order to meet the needs of our local community and our wider regional community (when and if required), in any emergency situation (or during a major incident).

How long will the pandemic last?
Based on the experience of past pandemics, national planning is based on a wave lasting 15 weeks.  It is impossible to predict how many waves there are to be in a pandemic, but there have been one or two waves, in the previous two pandemics.

When will a vaccine be made available?
The Department of Health has said that the manufacturers have advised that they will be delivering the first supplies vaccine at the end of August 2009.  This is not the Department of Health’s schedule, it is led by the manufacturers.

The Department of Health has contracts with manufacturers to supply enough vaccine for the whole population, once it has been developed. These contracts were set up some time ago to ensure we are the first in the queue.

Where can I get more information?
More information on Swine Flu is available from the Swine Flu Information Line: 0800 1 513 513 or the NHS Choices website: www.nhs.uk