Welcome to Nottinghamshire Prepared

This web site offers information and advice to residents, visitors and businesses on Nottinghamshire's preparations for - and responses to - major incidents and emergencies.

Swine Flu Information

The relevant agencies are currently monitoring the situation, liaising closely with Government Office for the East Midlands.
Our pandemic flu plans have already been activated, and work begun on establishing the infrastructure to deal effectively with the swine flu threat should it reach pandemic proportions in Nottinghamshire.
In the UK the majority of cases have been mild and cases have responded positively to antiviral treatment.

Important Information about Swine Flu (Leaflet)

The Government has produced an information leaflet for every household in the country. This leaflet includes information about what swine flu is and how it could spread, what UK governments have done to prepare for a wider outbreak of flu, how you can protect yourself against flu and what to do if you have flu symptoms. To read the leaflet, please click on the link below:

Click here to download important information about Swine Flu (leaflet) (1.3MB)

(Alternate language versions of this leaflet are available on the Directgov website.)

Current situation

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised the level of influenza pandemic alert from phase 5, to phase 6.
The change to a higher phase of pandemic indicates that a pandemic has been declared. However, the alert level is related to how widespread the virus is, rather than its severity.

More information can be found on the WHO website  http://www.who.int/en/

Travel Advice

There are currently no travel restrictions in place, though travellers are asked to observe general infection control practices and good respiratory/hand hygiene.

For more information visit the Foreign Office website at http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/

Swine Influenza – questions and answers

The following information on Swine flu has been provided by the Health Protection Agency http://www.hpa.org.uk/

What are the symptoms of swine influenza?
The symptoms of swine influenza in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza infection and include fever, fatigue, lack of appetite, coughing and sore throat. Some people with swine flu have also reported vomiting and diarrhoea.

If someone who has been to affected areas is feeling sick what should they do?
Anyone who has recently travelled to the affected areas and is experiencing influenza-like illness should stay at home to limit contact with others, and seek medical advice from a local health professional or by contacting the National Flu Line on 0800 151 3513.

Is treatment available?
Testing has shown that the human swine influenza H1N1 can be treated with the antivirals oseltamavir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza).
Most of the previously reported swine influenza cases recovered fully from the disease without requiring medical attention and without antiviral medicines.

Is this swine flu virus contagious?
It has been determined that this virus is contagious and it spreads between people, although it is not known how easily.

How common are cases of swine influenza?
Cases of swine influenza in humans usually occur after direct or close contact with infected pigs. The person-to-person transmission that is being investigated in Mexico has been previously reported but appears to be rare
Infection with swine influenza virus has been detected occasionally in humans since the 1950s. There have been no cases of swine influenza identified in people in the UK for at least ten years. Through the regular seasonal influenza surveillance that is done in Europe, a single case with mild symptoms was reported in November 2008 in Spain. In the US there is an active swine influenza surveillance programme to monitor pig viruses as they see more diversity in viruses than in any other country.

What measures can I take to protect against infection?
General infection control practices and good respiratory hand hygiene can help to reduce transmission of all viruses, including the human swine influenza. This includes:
Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible
Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully
Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people
Cleaning hard surfaces (e.g. door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product
Making sure your children follow this advice

Is this the next influenza pandemic?
It is too early to say whether the cases seen so far will lead to a larger outbreak or could represent the appearance of potential pandemic strain of influenza virus.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) is the decision maker in terms of declaring an influenza pandemic and elevating the global stages of pandemic alert. Experts from around the world are working in close collaboration with WHO to help determine what risk this situation poses to global public health.

What is the difference between seasonal influenza, avian influenza, swine influenza and an influenza pandemic?
Influenza viruses are commonly circulating in the human and animal environment. Different strains can cause illness in humans, bird and pigs.
Seasonal influenza is caused by influenza viruses that are adapted to spread in humans (human influenza). Humans have some natural immunity to the strains that are in common circulation, and this immunity can be boostered by immunisation with a seasonal influenza vaccine.
Avian influenza is caused by influenza viruses adapted for infection in birds. Similarly, swine influenza is caused by influenza viruses adapted for infection in pigs.
These illnesses all elicit the same respiratory symptoms in their hosts. Sometimes, humans and animals can pass strains of influenza back and forth to one another, such as when humans become ill with avian or swine influenza, usually from direct contact with animals who are ill.
Mixing of human and animal influenza viruses can lead to the development of changed viruses with the ability to cause infection and spread in the human population. There may be little or no immunity in the human population to these new viruses.
An influenza pandemic is defined as a new or novel influenza virus that spreads easily between humans. When new influenza viruses are introduced into the environment, humans don't have any natural immunity to protect against them. Therefore, there is a risk that that new influenza viruses could develop into a pandemic if the virus passes easily from human to human.