The National Pandemic Flu Service, which offers callers or internet users a prescription code for antiviral drugs if they have symptoms, was experiencing “unprecedented demand”, with 9.3 million hits every hour.
The website crashed within minutes of going live at 3pm but was later restored. By 5pm it was receiving the equivalent of 2,600 hits per second. The Government said that it was increasing capacity for the site.
Multimedia: Full coverage
It also emerged that:
• swine flu is at epidemic levels in many areas, with the under-14s — described as “super-spreaders” by the Chief Medical Officer — the worst hit. About 100,000 people in England were infected with the H1N1 virus in the week to Sunday compared with 55,000 cases the previous week;
• 16 per cent of those with swine flu who have died were described as fully “healthy”. A further 17 per cent had conditions regarded as moderate such as diabetes or high blood pressure;
• Vodafone could make millions of pounds by charging 20p a minute for calls to the 0800 hotline number;
• the Church of England issued an unprecedented order to suspend “sharing of the chalice” at Communion.
Town hall leaders will meet today to discuss new measures, such as asking social workers to collect Tamiflu prescriptions for vulnerable people.
Doctors have said that Tamiflu, the main antiviral drug being used to treat symptoms, could be overprescribed by staff at the telephone service, who are not medically trained. Gordon Brown said that the service was required to take the burden off frontline health staff. “We know that for people to be treated in the first 24 to 48 hours makes a real difference,” he said.
Applicants to the service are asked to supply their name, address and date of birth before receiving a code to exchange for medication. This code can be given to a “flu friend” who collects the antivirals, using a form of identification from the patient.
Peter Holden, of the British Medical Association, said: “A few people may seek to get antivirals by telling porkies. They need to remember that their identity will be checked and if they get one dose they will not be given another. Tamiflu is not a drug to be given in mild cases: it has side-effects and there’s no point in using it as a prophylactic.” He warned anyone thinking of selling it on eBay that it was illegal to sell medicines without a licence.
Charities have warned that diagnosing flu cases by phone or the internet could miss the symptoms of other serious illness such as meningitis.
A total of 840 people in England are being treated in hospital after contracting the virus; 63 are in a critical condition. The official number of deaths across Britain linked to swine flu remains at 30. About 1,200 people in Scotland and 3,000 in Wales have also contacted their GPs about symptoms in the past week, but only patients in England are being invited so far to apply for drugs by phone or online.
A 26-year-old Scot critically ill with swine flu was transferred to Sweden for specialised treatment. The woman, admitted to hospital in Kilmarnock last week, has been on a ventilator due to an extreme reaction to the virus. [rc]
Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.
July 24, 2009
UK: Public fear mounts as swine flu cases soar
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LONDON, England / The Times / Health News / Swine Flu / July 24, 2009
By David Rose
Millions of patients overwhelmed a new telephone and online service yesterday to obtain swine flu treatment without seeing a doctor as the number of cases doubled in a week.
The National Pandemic Flu Service, which offers callers or internet users a prescription code for antiviral drugs if they have symptoms, was experiencing “unprecedented demand”, with 9.3 million hits every hour.
The website crashed within minutes of going live at 3pm but was later restored. By 5pm it was receiving the equivalent of 2,600 hits per second. The Government said that it was increasing capacity for the site.
Multimedia: Full coverage
It also emerged that:
• swine flu is at epidemic levels in many areas, with the under-14s — described as “super-spreaders” by the Chief Medical Officer — the worst hit. About 100,000 people in England were infected with the H1N1 virus in the week to Sunday compared with 55,000 cases the previous week;
• 16 per cent of those with swine flu who have died were described as fully “healthy”. A further 17 per cent had conditions regarded as moderate such as diabetes or high blood pressure;
• Vodafone could make millions of pounds by charging 20p a minute for calls to the 0800 hotline number;
• the Church of England issued an unprecedented order to suspend “sharing of the chalice” at Communion.
Town hall leaders will meet today to discuss new measures, such as asking social workers to collect Tamiflu prescriptions for vulnerable people.
Doctors have said that Tamiflu, the main antiviral drug being used to treat symptoms, could be overprescribed by staff at the telephone service, who are not medically trained. Gordon Brown said that the service was required to take the burden off frontline health staff. “We know that for people to be treated in the first 24 to 48 hours makes a real difference,” he said.
Applicants to the service are asked to supply their name, address and date of birth before receiving a code to exchange for medication. This code can be given to a “flu friend” who collects the antivirals, using a form of identification from the patient.
Peter Holden, of the British Medical Association, said: “A few people may seek to get antivirals by telling porkies. They need to remember that their identity will be checked and if they get one dose they will not be given another. Tamiflu is not a drug to be given in mild cases: it has side-effects and there’s no point in using it as a prophylactic.” He warned anyone thinking of selling it on eBay that it was illegal to sell medicines without a licence.
Charities have warned that diagnosing flu cases by phone or the internet could miss the symptoms of other serious illness such as meningitis.
A total of 840 people in England are being treated in hospital after contracting the virus; 63 are in a critical condition. The official number of deaths across Britain linked to swine flu remains at 30. About 1,200 people in Scotland and 3,000 in Wales have also contacted their GPs about symptoms in the past week, but only patients in England are being invited so far to apply for drugs by phone or online.
A 26-year-old Scot critically ill with swine flu was transferred to Sweden for specialised treatment. The woman, admitted to hospital in Kilmarnock last week, has been on a ventilator due to an extreme reaction to the virus. [rc]
Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.
The National Pandemic Flu Service, which offers callers or internet users a prescription code for antiviral drugs if they have symptoms, was experiencing “unprecedented demand”, with 9.3 million hits every hour.
The website crashed within minutes of going live at 3pm but was later restored. By 5pm it was receiving the equivalent of 2,600 hits per second. The Government said that it was increasing capacity for the site.
Multimedia: Full coverage
It also emerged that:
• swine flu is at epidemic levels in many areas, with the under-14s — described as “super-spreaders” by the Chief Medical Officer — the worst hit. About 100,000 people in England were infected with the H1N1 virus in the week to Sunday compared with 55,000 cases the previous week;
• 16 per cent of those with swine flu who have died were described as fully “healthy”. A further 17 per cent had conditions regarded as moderate such as diabetes or high blood pressure;
• Vodafone could make millions of pounds by charging 20p a minute for calls to the 0800 hotline number;
• the Church of England issued an unprecedented order to suspend “sharing of the chalice” at Communion.
Town hall leaders will meet today to discuss new measures, such as asking social workers to collect Tamiflu prescriptions for vulnerable people.
Doctors have said that Tamiflu, the main antiviral drug being used to treat symptoms, could be overprescribed by staff at the telephone service, who are not medically trained. Gordon Brown said that the service was required to take the burden off frontline health staff. “We know that for people to be treated in the first 24 to 48 hours makes a real difference,” he said.
Applicants to the service are asked to supply their name, address and date of birth before receiving a code to exchange for medication. This code can be given to a “flu friend” who collects the antivirals, using a form of identification from the patient.
Peter Holden, of the British Medical Association, said: “A few people may seek to get antivirals by telling porkies. They need to remember that their identity will be checked and if they get one dose they will not be given another. Tamiflu is not a drug to be given in mild cases: it has side-effects and there’s no point in using it as a prophylactic.” He warned anyone thinking of selling it on eBay that it was illegal to sell medicines without a licence.
Charities have warned that diagnosing flu cases by phone or the internet could miss the symptoms of other serious illness such as meningitis.
A total of 840 people in England are being treated in hospital after contracting the virus; 63 are in a critical condition. The official number of deaths across Britain linked to swine flu remains at 30. About 1,200 people in Scotland and 3,000 in Wales have also contacted their GPs about symptoms in the past week, but only patients in England are being invited so far to apply for drugs by phone or online.
A 26-year-old Scot critically ill with swine flu was transferred to Sweden for specialised treatment. The woman, admitted to hospital in Kilmarnock last week, has been on a ventilator due to an extreme reaction to the virus. [rc]
Copyright 2009 Times Newspapers Ltd.
