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It was inevitable really. The actor who stars in the Government's swine flu television advert has only gone and contracted the virus.
In the Department of Health commercial, David McCusker sneezes in a lift, spreading his germs for others to catch.
He then demonstrates good practice by using a tissue, before putting it in the bin and washing his hands. The ad is concluded with the DoH's slogan: Catch It. Bin It. Kill It.' flashed
up on screen.
Sadly Mr McCusker, 30, from Sutton in Surrey, doesn't appear to have followed the official advice he was promoting.
“I was supposed to catch It, Bin It, Kill It'. But instead I've been shivering, shaking and spreading it," he said. “It was a shock when I found out. I quarantined myself and I've been
getting lots of stick from mates.
“I caught it, didn't bin it and spread it all over the place.”
The actor discovered he had swine flu after calling the Government hotline. He was advised to see his GP, who confirmed the virus, and prescribed him Tamiflu.
While Mr McCusker may be suffering his own discomfort there was brighter news yesterday that the first wave of the pandemic appears to be on its way out, with the number of new cases in England last week dropping to 30,000 from 110,000 the week before.
The number of deaths linked to the virus rose yesterday to 36, although none of the additional nine fatalities occurred in the past week.
Experts fear a second wave of the pandemic could build up in September when children return to schools.
Ministers are considering ambitious plans to immunise all school children between the ages of five and 16, though that could not realistically
begin until October when large enough supplies would be available. A vaccine should be ready next month after clinical trials.
A mass vaccination would be the biggest since the 1964 smallpox immunisation and affect 8.5 million pupils.
Reader views (2)
Method Actors - Pah !
- Jill, London, 07/08/2009 12:16
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I was off ill last week feeling really dreadful and when I phoned my gp and told them my symptoms I was not allowed to see anyone...instead I was advised to contact the hotline for the swine flu which gave me a code and put me on the tamiful for 5 days...I don't think I had swine flu but still they advised this treatment, just curious as to how he got to see someone as everyone is told to stay away to stop infection spreading...
- Sarah, London, 07/08/2009 10:36
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