A year after the swine flu virus first came to the UK in April 2009, health experts from NHS Norfolk are reminding people of the continuing importance of getting vaccinated against swine flu and are warning that the virus has not gone for good.

Members of the public are being made aware of the ongoing vaccination campaign for vulnerable patients, in preparation for a possible rise in cases during the coming winter flu season.

The number of new cases of swine flu in Norfolk has declined considerably since they reached a peak last summer, with less than a handful of suspected cases per week in NHS Norfolk’s area.

But health experts are encouraging vulnerable people who have yet to receive their vaccination to ask for one now, to reduce their risk of catching the virus later in the year when flu viruses tend to be more prominent.

NHS Norfolk’s Assistant Director of Public Health, Jonathan Williams, explained that despite the significant fall in cases, the virus has not gone away. He said: “The number of people contracting swine flu is now very low. However, viruses do not tend to disappear – they have peaks and troughs in the numbers of people they effect at different times and in different conditions.

“The swine flu virus is still in the community, which means it is still possible to catch it, particularly if you are in one of the known vulnerable groups. We expect swine flu to be around for years and to become another regular seasonal flu strain, so we may see a rise in people contracting the swine flu strain of flu towards the end of the year, when flu viruses tend to effect more people.

“It is essential that people who are eligible to receive the vaccine do so, to greatly reduce their chance of catching the virus in the future. Most people will have built up some immunity to the swine flu virus, as with most viruses in the community, but some may still be vulnerable to catching the virus during the winter flu season at the end of the year.”

The eligible groups for the swine flu vaccination are those who are known to be most vulnerable to the virus, they are:
– Individuals aged six months and over who are in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups;
– Pregnant women;
– Household contacts of immuno-compromised individuals;
– All children aged from six months to five years old.

Patients in these groups should have already received an invitation to be vaccinated by their local GP surgery, but if you have not yet received your swine flu vaccination you can call your GP surgery to discuss this and arrange an appointment.

Members of the public, including those not in the above vulnerable groups, should continue to follow the Catch It, Bin in, Kill it message, which encourages people to reduce the spread of diseases by using a tissue when they sneeze, throwing it in the bin and then washing your hands. This will help to reduce the spread of swine flu and other viruses.

Anyone who believes they, or a family member, may have swine flu should visit their GP. The symptoms of swine flu include:
– a fever or high temperature (over 38°C), plus two or more of the following;
– unusual tiredness;
– headache;
– sore throat;
– shortness of breath or cough;
– loss of appetite;
– aching muscles;
– diarrhoea or vomiting.

For more information about swine flu and the symptoms, go to www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Pandemic-flu/Pages/Introduction.aspx or call NHS Norfolk’s Patient Advise and Liaison Service (PALS) team on 0800 587 4132.