Swine Flu Forces Health Authorities to Move from Containment to Treatment
The UK government has finally announced that as it is impossible to contain the swine flu pandemic and that they are now moving from the containment phase to the treatment phase. This step would mean that methods of containment like tracing roots of people with swine flu and distributing anti-virals to stymie the spread of the flu would end.
The first case of swine flu virus in the UK was discovered in Scotland. The Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon stated that the spread of the virus was rapid in the recent weeks and there was a tendency of community transmission. Given the present scenario, it is necessary to change the strategy from containment to treatment as the most appropriate way of countering the pandemic.
However, she also suggested that there was no need to panic, as a change in phase did not mean that the virus was more dangerous and it is just an approach deemed fit by the authorities to tackle the rising number of cases.
Anti-virals will still be available as in the containment phase but it is up to the doctors to determine the exact need and prescription. People exposed to the H1N1 virus can avail the anti-virals but those with common cough and cold need to be dealt with separately.
The phase change from containment to treatment will also put an end to routine testing, instead there will be reporting of cases regionally every week based on surveillance.
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