Swine flu less lethal than expected
A new report has found that swine flu is less deadly than originally feared.
The UK’s Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, has reported that the swine flu epidemic is less lethal than first anticipated, causing the death of 26 out of every 100,000 people – just 0.026% – who contract the virus.
Statistically, swine flu compares favourably in terms of mortality when compared to other flu pandemics of the 20th century. However, only two thirds of people who contracted the virus were in the groups eligible for the vaccination, meaning one third were left vulnerable.
Sir Liam told the BBC: “We think we’ve hit this virus very, very hard and it could be a factor in why we’ve seen a relatively low number of deaths compared to the past.”
The report concluded: “Our data support the priority vaccination of high risk groups. We observed delayed antiviral use in most fatal cases, which suggests an opportunity to reduce deaths by making timely antiviral treatment available, although the lack of a control group limits the ability to extrapolate from this observation.
“Given that a substantial minority of deaths occur in previously healthy people, there is a case for extending the vaccination programme and for continuing to make early antiviral treatment widely available.”
The Department of Health (DH) recorded 11,000 new cases of swine flu in the UK last week, a significant decrease (50%) from the previous week of 22,000, while the Health Protection Agency estimates there have been around 795,000 cases reported since the pandemic began.
On 8 December, the DH announced that local practices may now vaccinate children between the ages of six months and five years. Andy Burnham, UK Health Secretary, said: “It is disappointing that we have not been able to come to a national agreement with GPs to vaccinate children from six months to five years old. But we are now getting on with the job and asking local health trusts to put local plans in place so that vaccination of these children can begin seamlessly.”
The report by Sir Liam is published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
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Trust a political quack like Donaldson to attempt to use this a way of elevating himself and his interests -
Sir Liam told the BBC: “We think we’ve hit this virus very, very hard and it could be a factor in why we’ve seen a relatively low number of deaths compared to the past.”
Health care is all about medicine in his little World, this little quack didn’t think about a better message like vitamin D3 because that is not in the interests of those that pull this little strings.
Many years ago I took over the running of a farm at short notice and was very green in certain areas, like weed identification and was easily guided by wonderful booklets/brochures from large chemical companies into a logic of their making and the NHS is no different.
We all know that the WHO is funded by the same individual that is profiting from all this. We all know that statistics are always bent and twisted like New Labour and the BBC. We do not need politics or the media to prioritise what is in the official story and what shall be deemed a conspiracy theory.
People should be encouraged to use their own brains and understand the same thing that has been undertood for 2000 years by the uncritiseable and united chosen people, - The Book of Life is your subconsious acceptance.
December 14th, 2009 at 10:23 pm