This is about the latest pandemic, Swine Flu (H1N1 virus). Last week alone, the National Health Service (NHS) reported 100,000 new cases in UK. 63 now are critically ill in ICU.
Yesterday, the government here launched a new website- National Pandemic Flu Service (I don't put the link here because I don't want to crowd the site- already 9 millions hits the first hour). In that website you can get latest news, and also if you are sick, you can take a questionnaire of symptoms. If your answers suggest that you are likely having the swine flu, you will get a unique code that you can bring to a pharmacy and you can get the antiviral, Tamiflu (Oseltamivir).
Now that antiviral is very2 expensive, costing around £65 per person.
This is the first time in the world that you can get a prescription through an online questionnaire, bypassing medical personnel.
A lot of controversies and debates yesterday in the news- irresponsible people might get the antiviral and try to sell it at ebay (though you can only get 1 prescription with one valid ID). Scared people might just lie in the questionnaire to get the drugs and protect themselves (though this will predispose you to side effects).
Pregnant ladies, children under 1 and those with existing medical illness still need to see their GP.
The govn representative said that they are putting complete trust on the public and hope everybody will be responsible in this crisis. They are trying to buy time before the vaccine is available (now already on clinical trial). They are also doing this to relieve burden on the GPs.
I say, it's worth a try. Time to unite and have trusts in each other.
p/s they say it's not to worry, but what they just did sounds like a desperate measure...hmmm..
Yesterday, the government here launched a new website- National Pandemic Flu Service (I don't put the link here because I don't want to crowd the site- already 9 millions hits the first hour). In that website you can get latest news, and also if you are sick, you can take a questionnaire of symptoms. If your answers suggest that you are likely having the swine flu, you will get a unique code that you can bring to a pharmacy and you can get the antiviral, Tamiflu (Oseltamivir).
Now that antiviral is very2 expensive, costing around £65 per person.
This is the first time in the world that you can get a prescription through an online questionnaire, bypassing medical personnel.
A lot of controversies and debates yesterday in the news- irresponsible people might get the antiviral and try to sell it at ebay (though you can only get 1 prescription with one valid ID). Scared people might just lie in the questionnaire to get the drugs and protect themselves (though this will predispose you to side effects).
Pregnant ladies, children under 1 and those with existing medical illness still need to see their GP.
The govn representative said that they are putting complete trust on the public and hope everybody will be responsible in this crisis. They are trying to buy time before the vaccine is available (now already on clinical trial). They are also doing this to relieve burden on the GPs.
I say, it's worth a try. Time to unite and have trusts in each other.
p/s they say it's not to worry, but what they just did sounds like a desperate measure...hmmm..
8 comments:
yerlah..tak sangka uk blh jadik teruk ngan wabak ni. nak gi shopping ke meadowhall pon takut!
su most people akan dapat mild illness je, mkn buah2an byk dan jgn stress2 sgt so kalau dpt jangkitan pun senang badan nak lawan
wow 100,000 in a week. banyaknya! kalau kat malaysia ni, almost 1000 total, and majority (9xx) dah recover..
a'ah but only 800+ required hosp treatment, the rest GP level je, that's why they do this service, GP cannot handle
they say the high number is because UK is exposed earlier,
probably M'sia underdiagnosed (teori aku je)
drwati,
aku rasa kau betul lah, Msia ni underdiagnosed, sbb the 4th death (i just read in the news today) ni, after death baru tahu ada swine flu. yang mati tahulah, probably ada others yg dah recover and never know pun it was swine flu (ingatkan flu biasa). possible kan?
a'ah, mmg majority mild illness je, mcm selsema biasa
for myself and medical colleagues,
in PULSE, the GP buletin yesterday it was reported that now GP is seeing more cases due to side effects of Tamiflu (diarrhea, vomiting etc) everyday, and they also fear that the virus will develop resistance to Tamiflu after its widespread use.
weiiii takutlaaaa....apakah lgkah pencegahan tuk outsider mcm kite...?? start september UK nk cucuk sumer penduduk die ngan 1 vaccine kan..ape bende tu...?? nnt kite pn kene ke...??
eh, takde pun ckp sumer org kena cucuk? tapi swineflu vaccine tu ready by sept la
hmmm awak immunity probably low, nanti awak dtg sini masa register clinic kena bgtau awak asthma, diorg akan offer awak flu vaccination masa winter nanti, swineflu punya vaccine taktau policy camne lagi, tapi bila dah available awak patut amik
nanti taklehla merayau2 sgt tempat org ramai
awak doalah byk2 hopefully by the time awak dtg transmission risk is low
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