Swine Flu Pandemic Alert Linked to Scotland
No H1N1 Deaths in UK, but Serious Complication Reported
Jun 11, 2009
There have been 666 confirmed cases of swine flu in the United Kingdom, according to the WHO. Scotland has 337 confirmed cases of the illness. There are 659 other potential H1N1 cases waiting to be confirmed.
“We have seen a rapid increase in the number of confirmed cases in Scotland over the past 10 days,” Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon told members of the Scottish Parliament, according to the BBC. “Based on this experience, Health Protection Scotland has expressed the view that sustained community transmission appears to be taking place.”
Swine Flu Hospitalization Similar to U.S.
Sustained community transmission in at least two different regions of the world is one of the guidelines the WHO uses to evaluate if a pandemic is taking place. Sturgeon said 18 people in Scotland have required hospitalization as a result of contracting swine flu, which she said gives the region a rate of hospitalization for H1N1 cases similar to that in the United States.
At least three people in Scotland have landed in intensive care thanks to swine flu infections. A 38-year-old woman from Glasgow and a 45-year-old man from Paisley were both in critical but stable condition early this week. The woman had given birth to a premature baby, which was also in ICU, but which tested negative for swine flu. A 23-year-old woman from Paisley also was hospitalized in intensive care with the H1N1 virus, but was reported in stable condition.
The greater Glasgow and Clyde areas of Scotland, which include Paisley, have been particularly hard hit by the virus.
WHO Chief Explains Pandemic Declaration
Late this afternoon, WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan held a press conference in Geneva to announce that the organization was raising its pandemic alert level to Phase 6, meaning a full pandemic is now in effect.
“The virus is contagious, spreading easily from one person to another, and from one country to another,” she said. “As of today, nearly 30,000 confirmed cases have been reported in 74 countries.”
The virus was first noticed in Mexico in April and spread rapidly through North America. Until recently, however, it had not been much of a factor in any other part of the world. As the situation in Scotland reflects, that has now changed. Additionally, a sharp rise in cases in Chile and Australia helped WHO officials determine that the threshold of a full pandemic had been met.
Pandemic No Cause for Alarm
WHO leaders have taken pains in recent days to stress that a pandemic refers only to the geographic spread of a disease, not its severity.
“Globally, we have good reason to believe that this pandemic, at least in its early days, will be of moderate severity,” Chan said. “On present evidence, the overwhelming majority of patients experience mild symptoms and make a rapid and full recovery, often in the absence of any form of medical treatment.”
Swine Flu Striking Primarily Young
Chan noted that the majority of swine flu cases have occurred in people under the age of 25. However, most fatal cases have occurred in people between 30 and 50 years old.
“This pattern is significantly different from that seen during epidemics of seasonal influenza, when most deaths occur in frail elderly people,” she added. “Many, though not all, severe cases have occurred in people with underlying chronic conditions. Based on limited, preliminary data, conditions most frequently seen include respiratory diseases, notably asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disorders, and obesity.”
Chan said the WHO has been “in close dialogue” with vaccine manufacturers and seasonal flu vaccine supplies will soon be completed, allowing full capacity to be allotted to production of a swine flu vaccine.
