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Swine flu in London is approaching epidemic levels, new figures show today.
The capital has become the area most badly hit by the virus, with thousands of people suffering from flu symptoms. The news comes as two more people were today confirmed to have died after contracting swine flu — bringing the number of deaths in the capital to five.
NHS London said a young child died at St Thomas' Hospital on Tuesday and a 66-year-old man from Essex died at Barts yesterday. Both are believed to have been suffering from underlying health problems.
New figures from the Department of Health show 335 people are currently in hospital with swine flu, including 43 in intensive care, across the UK.
Sir Liam Donaldson, the Government's Chief Medical Officer, said there may be many more people suffering from swine flu who treat themselves at home and don't report to their GP.
Latest figures show 180 people in every 100,000 went to their GP with flu-like symptoms in London last week. When that number reaches 200 per 100,000, London will have reached epidemic levels. In England as a whole, 51.9 people in every 100,000 went to their GP with flu-like symptoms.
Sir Liam added that about 27,000 people across the country went to their GP complaining of flu last week.
The DoH said young people aged between five and 14 are the most badly affected. There have been 14 deaths in the UK so far, and all had underlying health problems.
There will be no inquests into the deaths of two Londoners, a nine-year-old girl and 19-year-old man, who died after contracting swine flu. Both had existing health problems.
Reader views (15)
Re: the lady who thought she had it as far back as March. Ditto. I suffer with Bronchitis so get really bad flu, viruses etc..seasonal. However, in March I had what I initially thought was just that...but I have never had anything like it!! and I have had some bad cases in my 40 odd years. Started with sore throat, headache within a day or so I had a cold and bad chest. My boyfriend took me for a walk in fresh air (usually helps sometimes but I was so Weak could hardly move. Came home, had bad stomache, uncontrollable and not normal..shaking, shivering interspersed with Sweats...throwing all bedclothes off. Ended up taking 3 days off work...couldnt hardly move, aching, off food though I did force myself and dosed up with panadol. I also had strange things in my mouth similar to blisters which my dentist thinks was a "virus". Lad in my office also had similar then within days two others in my office.
the cough..which ALWAYS lasts for weeks - cleared up that quick I was amazed. Within a few weeks Swine flu came on the news... am really hoping that was it...because it does sound very much like it and the more I think about it makes me wonder.
- Aj,, Manchester
RE the posts about flu in march - I was the same.
I have never knowingly had flu before but it started with a very sore throat, then a high fever, felt really lethargic and had a terrible cough and chest infection. Docs gave me anti biotics for chest infection but they didn't help at all.
- Darren, Warrington
I think I also had swine flu in March and my 19 year old daughter had it in February. It started with a very bad sore throat. I have had tonsillitis before but this was worse the pain was excruciating; this was followed very quickly with a fever and high temperature. I was a little delirious and my daughter phoned the doctor. I kept dosing myself with paracetamol and ibuprofen to deal with the temperature. I was told to gargle with salt water, but his just made me feel sick, I ended up using a spray on my throat that only relieved the symptoms for a little while. In the end I stopped the ibuprofen and stared to gargle with soluble aspirin which helped. It took me a good ten days to get over it. Six of my colleagues at work also got this flu. Once the swine flu was announced it made me wonder if it was here already in February and March. Especially when a colleague who sits tens yards away from me had come back from Mexico a month before I caught it? When my daughter had it she was the same only she was heaving and retching bringing up clear phlegm not vomit. I suppose the only way to tell is to have a blood test. At the time I was diagnosed with flu.
- Jayne, LONDON
me my partner and son,, have all got swine flu,, we all got it all around the same time last saterday, can this flu go on its own and how lond does it last for,,
- Sharlene, mancherster
I think that my husband and I had swine flu back in March. It was the worst flu we ever had with all the above symptoms and had we both an upset stomach too. Then from nowhere I started getting pains in my arms and legs that were so bad I couldnt move. I had a blood test and it showed that I have a bacterial infection that may be a result of the flu. Has anyone else had such pains?
- Lisa, London
Carol says "use homeopathic nosode". Homeopathy is mumbo jumbo that has no basis in science. You might as well put a couple magic chicken bones under your pillow.
- Nick, London
why are the vulnerable people not receiving the anti viral treatment before they get the flu when it will hardly cause more than cold symptoms for the rest of us
- E.Morey, wolverhampton w.mids.england
MY FRIEND CAME AROUND TO SEE MY MOTHER TODAY ON HER 93RD BIRTHDAY SHE MET WITH MY TWO SISTERS I ALSO SPENT YESTERDAY WITH HER. SHE CONFIRMED TO ME THAT HER SISTER WHO SHE WAS WITH ON TUESDAY HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH SWINE FLU. SHE SAYS THAT HER SISTER HAD THE FLU ON TUESDAY AND I THEN SAW HER ON WEDNESDAY. DO YOU THINK SHE COULD PASS THIS ON IM ESPECIALLY WORRIED ABOUT MY MOTHER WHO IS VERY OLD AND ALSO IF I CATCH IT SHOULD I GO AND STAY AT MY FLAT FOR A WEEK TO SAVE MY MOTHER CATCHING THIS.
- Louise Edwards, STANSTED, ESSEX
Is it not worth noting that all the desths so far have had "undrlying health problems" - maybe if the information was more specific, i would be more worried.
Use a homeopathic nosode - and survive, its vaccinations perpetuated by the drug giants that seem to causing the problems - that , and a useful deflection from the economic shambles.
- Carol, london
The symptoms of swine flu are the same as for "ordinary" flu: a dry cough, fever, feeling very tired and ill for a while. It's pretty obvious now that there's no cause for panic, if you are healthy a few days off work will fix it. Annabel - usual flu cough is dry and tickly, deep-down rather than throat, so maybe it was a cold-type virus rather than flu. But flu varies person to person, and if it's mild, who cares?
The swine flu differences are (1) it's VERY infectious so a lot of us will catch it and (2) it hits young people harder than middle-aged (maybe some residual immunity from previous flu epidemics).
I wonder how many of the anti-vaccine crowd would be posting their drivel if this virus were the deadly plague that was feared in its early days? Luckily this pandemic is a nuisance not a killer.
- Nigel, London
Neil, London(or in your case, Planet Zog) I received the H1N1 vaccine in February and I'm feeling fine. By the way, I assume that you would reject the smallpox vaccine yourself? Yes! much better to risk blinness, gross scarring and death!
- Dectora, London UK
From news footage some people seem to be panicking about this...if everyone took sensible precautions - covering their mouth/nose when they coughed or sneezed and coughed and sneezed into tissues and if they stopped spitting in the street (where has this increasing and disgusting habit come from? - it seems to be people of all ages and races) then the risk of infecting others might be reduced. Given the rise in TB these would also be sensible precautions against cross infection for this too. How about some public health adverts?
- Andy, london
When compulsory vaccination is announced, you may wish to consider that vaccines are the means by which biological weapons-grade viruses are introduced to the general population, such as the HIV virus which was added to the Hep B vaccine in the US in the 1970s.
- Neil, London, London UK
With the fabled Pandemic about to arrive, no mention appears to mention the cause as to how the strains of Pig/Bird/Human virus combined naturally into 1 pathogen.
Of course a vaccination would be handy but that will just increase the amount of sickness being experienced by people that have allergic reactions to its ingredients. Causing disabilities and death, but heh! keep the pharmaceutical companies in profit creating lifelong customers?
- William, Hay~Heath UK
What are the symptoms? My daughter had a cough and feverish tiredness for two days - the doctor said it was swine flu (he did not do any tests)and there were also unconfirmed cases at her school - and I have, similarly, laid in bed for the last two days sweating with a throaty cough although now i feel better. Have I had swine flu? If so, it's relatively mild.
- Annabel Smith, London
