Swine Flu patients recovering well as Government begins 'phase two'

Alexa Brown • Published 7 Jul 2009 15:13 0 Comments

SIX Borderers hit by the swine flu virus were this week said to be recovering well.

The first local case was contracted by a Jedburgh factory worker after travelling overseas. The H1N1 strain was then passed on to three of the worker"s colleagues before two separate cases were also reported.

But NHS Borders said this week that there had been no more reported cases of the flu, which had yesterday claimed five lives in the UK.

A spokesperson told the Border Telegraph: 'The first outbreak of H1N1 flu cases in the Borders has been successfully contained.

"In all, only four people were reported as having H1N1 flu related to this cluster, two other cases were also reported which were unrelated to this group and three further possible cases all proved negative. The six cases only experienced mild symptoms and all are recovering well.'

The Scottish Government said this week that containing the virus was no longer effective, and it was working with the UK Government and local health boards to treat the growing number of cases.

Dr Tim Patterson, Consultant in Public Health, said: 'In practical terms, this means that we will no longer be testing people we suspect have H1N1 flu.

'There will be no laboratory tests - GPs will make the diagnosis based on the symptoms the patient is experiencing.

'We will also no longer be tracing all the contacts of confirmed cases, and anti-virals will be offered to people after consultation with a doctor or nurse.

'People should not be concerned by this change. We have always known we would have to move to this stage once the flu started to spread rapidly within communities.

'The symptoms for most of those affected by H1N1 flu have been mild and not any worse than seasonal flu, but it doesn"t mean we should be less concerned about protecting ourselves and others.

'We should still follow the basic hygiene rules, using tissues, throwing them away once used and washing our hands thoroughly and frequently.'

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