06 July 2009
The Health and Social Services department is reminding islanders that special regulations approved by the States in May mean that a home visit for the diagnosis of Swine Flu costs no more than an appointment at the GP’s surgery.
The Deputy Medical Officer of Health, Dr Susan Turnbull said: "I would urge anyone with symptoms of flu (including a temperature of 38 degrees or more) to stay at home and ask for a home visit. Please do not visit the surgery or go to A&E, or you may limit our chances of controlling the spread of this infection in Jersey.
“Please don't expose others to risk by going to work if you are unwell with a fever, or allow your children to go to school if they are unwell. Anyone not registered with a GP should register themselves and their family without delay, so they can request a home visit if they need one."
Last week the UK’s Chief Medical Officer announced that Swine Flu is now spreading unchecked in the UK, where they have 7,447 confirmed cases. Efforts to contain further spread there are no longer considered practical, or worthwhile. This means people in the UK who have been in close contact with confirmed cases of Swine Flu will no longer be offered Tamiflu to help limit viral spread. Efforts are being focused on treating only those who are ill.
Dr Turnbull added: “For now, at least in Jersey, we are in a very different position. With a small number of confirmed cases, we still have everything to play for in terms of containing spread of Swine Flu. This is particularly so during the summer months as we await the arrival of the new vaccine - expected to begin arriving in early October.
“We need now to redouble our efforts to protect our population. Schools have a crucial role to play during the last 2 weeks of the summer term - viruses spread very easily between children and beyond to their families. With the same virus, children are about 20% more infectious than adults. This is because of the closeness and shared facilities in a school environment, and also children may not be so scrupulous about hand washing and 'respiratory hygiene' as we would like them to be.
“Experience shows us that at some point we will move, like the UK, from the “containment” to the 'treatment' phase. But how well we do now in our 'containment' opportunity could make the difference to the overall impact of Swine Flu on Jersey. This is because effective containment - for as long as it is practical to try to achieve it - could help to delay the onset of our 'major wave' of swine flu, ideally until we have the new vaccine to offer effective prevention."
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