Swine Flu in Ireland

Mr. Incognito · 04-01-2019 05:53PM #1

https://www.rte.ie/news/health/2019/0104/1020318-flu/

The Health Service Executive has warned that the virulent H1N1 flu strain - also known as swine flu - is in Ireland and could become a potentially serious public health issue.

The HSE's Assistant National Director for Public Health, Dr Kevin Kelleher, said that already a number of people - including those in the 20s, 30s and 40s - have been admitted to hospital intensive care units.

Speaking on RTɒs News at One he said at least two, and possibly four, people have died.

Dr Kelleher said that the flu strain circulating can be problematic for people under the age of 65, predominantly those with a pre-existing disease and pregnant women.

He said it can cause chest problems that can bring on pneumonia, which affects breathing.

He said it was not too late to get the flu vaccine and urged vulnerable people in particular to get it.

Dr Kelleher said most people who get the flu should stay at home in bed, but those who feel seriously ill could call their GP or out-of-hours numbers.

"I know it's difficult not to let your child go to school, or not yourself go to work, but it is important if you've got these symptoms," he said.

Dr Kelleher also warned that people with flu symptoms should not visit elderly or vulnerable people.

This looks like the same strain of the Spanish flu which killed more people than the first world war.

Pretty scary stuff giving the state of our hospitals and the time of year and the overcrowding on public transport in the morning.

Hopefully it doesnt manage to spread too much.

gctest50 · 04-01-2019 06:04PM

Mr. Incognito wrote: »

.................

Hopefully it doesnt manage to spread too much.

It will

04-01-2019 06:06PM

Scare mongering.

oLoonatic · 04-01-2019 06:08PM

quick trip to your local chemist, 20 quid (if you dont have a medical card) vaccine sorted in 5 minutes.

BattleCorp · 04-01-2019 06:11PM

oLoonatic wrote: »

quick trip to your local chemist, 20 quid (if you dont have a medical card) vaccine sorted in 5 minutes.

The flu vaccine only protects against one strain of the flu doesn't it? I got the vaccine in December but I don't think it protects against all strains.

gctest50 · 04-01-2019 06:12PM

Except they lost the Post-It note :

Health Department failed to locate advice on flu vaccine for 2018/2019 season from NIAC

There is confusion over the full extent of the advice — if any — that the Government was given regarding this winter’s flu vaccine, after the Department of Health (DoH) admitted that it cannot locate the relevant advisory memo from the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (NIAC), the Irish Medical Times can reveal.

Established in 1998, the NIAC advises the Chief Medical Officer at the DoH on “specific vaccine recommendations for use in Ireland”.

Earlier this year, according to a RCPI spokesperson, the NIAC wrote to the DoH with advice regarding this season’s flu vaccine.

The HSE website states this year’s inoculation therapy “protects against the three strains of flu virus recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the strains most likely to be circulating this season”.

But the WHO also advises that there are two types of vaccines which can be used in the northern hemisphere this year — a trivalent vaccine, a type of which is being used by the HSE; and a quadrivalent vaccine, which is a stronger vaccine as it provides protection against the four strains of the flu in circulation.

In June this year, IMT asked the NIAC to provide details about the advice it had sent to the DoH regarding this year’s flu vaccine.

Still waiting a reply two months later, we were forced to send a Freedom of Information (FoI) request to the DoH asking for a copy of the NIAC advice.
On September 21 we were informed that the note could not be located.

In a written judgement, Michael Smith from the DoH’s Health Protection Unit advised IMT: “No correspondence to the Department of Health from the NIAC in relation to the flu vaccine for the 2018/2019 season has been located.”

The HSE website states that “the 2018/19 HSE seasonal vaccination programme is Influvac manufactured by Mylan”.

However, it does not state whether this vaccine was recommended by the NIAC.

gctest50 · 04-01-2019 06:12PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

The flu vaccine only protects against one strain of the flu doesn't it? I got the vaccine in December but I don't think it protects against all strains.

3 or 4 strains usually

BattleCorp · 04-01-2019 06:14PM

gctest50 wrote: »

3 or 4 strains usually

Are any of those strains H1N1 I wonder?

gctest50 · 04-01-2019 06:20PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

Are any of those strains H1N1 I wonder?

Whatever about H1N1,

this years (2018/19) vaccine is just 8% effective against H3N3

H3N3 killed 4 of the 10 people that died

Gatling · 04-01-2019 06:30PM

I had H1N1 6 years ago ,

It's a serious dose to get potentially life threatening

Sycamore Tree · 04-01-2019 06:30PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Scare mongering.

Absolute scaremongering.

Many people getting swine flu will just think they have the common cold. This is not in any way similar to the Spanish flu of 1918/1919.

Nothing to see here.

gctest50 · 04-01-2019 06:37PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

Are any of those strains H1N1 I wonder?

This what was recomended feb 2018,

WHO:

Recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2018-2019 northern hemisphere influenza season
22 February 2018

an A/Michigan/45/2015 (H1N1)pdm09-like virus;

an A/Singapore/INFIMH-16-0019/2016 (H3N2)-like virus;

a B/Colorado/06/2017-like virus (B/Victoria/2/87 lineage)

gctest50 · 04-01-2019 06:46PM

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

.........

Nothing to see here.

Four people have already died from it

The pneumonia etc that follows it have many more in serious trouble

r93kaey5p2izun · 04-01-2019 07:17PM

I got swine flu in 2010. It wasn't as bad as I expected but it was certainly something to be avoided if possible. Since then I get the flu vaccine every year. However last March I ended up in hospital with flu complications anyway as the vaccine didn't include one of the circulating strains apparently. I really hope this year the vaccine is effective. I've been unable to shift a a bad bout of bronchitis since October as it is.

04-01-2019 07:37PM

BattleCorp wrote: »

The flu vaccine only protects against one strain of the flu doesn't it? I got the vaccine in December but I don't think it protects against all strains.

Protects against all probable circulating strains of the season. One thing about influenza vaccine is that the protection is not absolute, but is very helpful. Will give my own direct example. I got the current seasonal vaccine back in October, two weeks before I caught what is very probably the current H1N1 whilst travelling in a place where it was then rampant. I had a previous annoying but cold/rhinovirus back in September, but then went down immediately after traveling with what I remembered as an influenza from the several occasions I had it in past life: shaking chills, bone pains, dreadful facial and head pain, zero appetite/nausea, ticklish cough but very little nasal discharge/sneezing. Was stuck in bed for a day and expected that to last a week or two followed by another week or so of weakness and depression and at about three weeks a full recovery. But miraculously after a further half day in bed I suddenly recovered almost fully in the space of 12 hours, and became very hungry and energetic, only a very slight and fading ticklish cough for about three days as a residual. It is highly likely that the vaccine, whilst not preventing me from catching it, had enormously fore-shortened the illness and if I had been a vulnerable person it would likely have saved me from hospitalization. Very well worth having that two second shot.

Sycamore Tree · 04-01-2019 07:42PM

gctest50 wrote: »

Four people have already died from it

The pneumonia etc that follows it have many more in serious trouble

Yeah yeah. The bullets and the fall killed them.
Same happens every year with whatever flu virus is active.

Fann Linn · 04-01-2019 07:43PM

Nothing to worry about. Varadkar and Harris are on top of this. Believe me.

pc7 · 04-01-2019 07:45PM

Gatling wrote: »

I had H1N1 6 years ago ,

It's a serious dose to get potentially life threatening

+1 it was horrific, never so sick. To take a breath hurt, everything ached, couldn’t eat or drink, stomach was upset, it really was vile. Was in bed for over a week couldn’t move, and took a good for weeks to get back to normal. I was young and fit, hate to see someone with an underlying illness get it.

gctest50 · 04-01-2019 07:49PM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

.......................

but then went down immediately after traveling with what I remembered as an influenza from the several occasions I had it in past life: shaking chills, bone pains, dreadful facial and head pain, zero appetite/nausea, ticklish cough but very little nasal discharge/sneezing. Was stuck in bed for a day and expected that to last a week or two followed by another week or so of weakness and depression and at about three weeks a full recovery. But miraculously after a further half day in bed I suddenly recovered almost fully in the space of 12 hours, and became very hungry and energetic, only a very slight and fading ticklish cough for about three days as a residual. ...........

If you didn't lab test it, that could have been anything

Sardonicat · 04-01-2019 07:55PM

Could someone clarify: did the flu vaccine my Dad got back in September cover for H1N1 or will he have to get another one?

c.p.w.g.w · 04-01-2019 07:58PM

Sardonicat wrote: »

Could someone clarify: did the flu vaccine my Dad got back in September cover for H1N1 or will he have to get another one?

Don't think so, as it normally more common flu strains I believe

04-01-2019 08:00PM

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

Don't think so, as it normally more common flu strains I believe

Thinks it’s okay according to this link: https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/pubinfo/flu-vaccination/about-the-vaccine/

If you click on 2018/19 flu vaccine it says H1N1 is one of the strains.

Gatling · 04-01-2019 08:18PM

pc7 wrote: »

+1 it was horrific, never so sick. To take a breath hurt, everything ached, couldn’t eat or drink, stomach was upset, it really was vile. Was in bed for over a week couldn’t move, and took a good for weeks to get back to normal. I was young and fit, hate to see someone with an underlying illness get it.

I ended up in an ICU for two weeks very nearly didn't survive it left with complications as well badly scarred lungs as a result and will likely be on inhalers and steroids for life too ,
Never been the same since

byhookorbycrook · 04-01-2019 08:22PM

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

Absolute scaremongering.

Many people getting swine flu will just think they have the common cold. This is not in any way similar to the Spanish flu of 1918/1919.

Nothing to see here.

Really?A pregnant lady I know died from it, I'm immunomodulated and can die quite easily, as can several of my students.

Sardonicat · 04-01-2019 08:24PM

Lia_lia wrote: »

c.p.w.g.w wrote: »

Don't think so, as it normally more common flu strains I believe

Thinks it’s okay according to this link: https://www.hse.ie/eng/health/immunisation/pubinfo/flu-vaccination/about-the-vaccine/

If you click on 2018/19 flu vaccine it says H1N1 is one of the strains.

Think you're right. Will give Dad's medical centre a call on Monday just to be sure to be sure and will most definitely be getting the vaccine myself now.

Sardonicat · 04-01-2019 08:28PM

byhookorbycrook wrote: »

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

Absolute scaremongering.

Many people getting swine flu will just think they have the common cold. This is not in any way similar to the Spanish flu of 1918/1919.

Nothing to see here.

Really?A pregnant lady I know died from it, I'm immunomodulated and can die quite easily, as can several of my students.

For sure. It really does depend. My nephew was in his early teens and he honestly had worse colds before and since. A friend of mine in her twenties ended up in intensive care. It's not worth taking any chances. Also, if you get a 'mild' dose and don't realise you've got H1N1 you could actually be putting vulnerable people at risk. Just get the vaccine, people!

dublinman1990 · 04-01-2019 08:40PM

They also have confirmed on Twitter that H1N1 is covered by this vaccine.

https://twitter.com/HSEImm/status/1081241348366159872

If you got the vaccine, like me last October, you should be covered.

stevek93 · 04-01-2019 10:07PM

I got influenza b last year, I was brought into ANE it got so bad I would dread to see what this would be like

04-01-2019 10:18PM

Sardonicat wrote: »

Could someone clarify: did the flu vaccine my Dad got back in September cover for H1N1 or will he have to get another one?

He’s covered.

04-01-2019 10:28PM

gctest50 wrote: »

If you didn't lab test it, that could have been anything

Of course it might have been*anything*, but I think on the balance of probabilities what I was struck with that time was one of the current circulating influenzas, for which I got the vaccine two weeks before. It’s the body’s own immune system that actually does the damage as the cytokines sent out to respond to the virus fill up the lungs in those unexposed to the virus before. In my case I had recent exposure from the vaccine, so my body withdrew the cytokine reaction as quickly as it realised it was not an enemy. However I would have been contagious to others for a while. Hence I stayed out of circulation for a little while.

MarkHenderson · 04-01-2019 10:46PM

Sycamore Tree wrote: »

Absolute scaremongering.

Many people getting swine flu will just think they have the common cold. This is not in any way similar to the Spanish flu of 1918/1919.

Nothing to see here.

Tell that to the families of those who have already died. My wife works in one of the major Dublin hospitals and they are really worried about what the coming weeks will bring.

Swine Flu in Ireland

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