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Wednesday, 10 February 2010

Swine flu

Swine flu - everything you need to know

The sections below provide health and travel advice and more information on what swine flu is, what to do if you think you have it and what the government is doing to help combat it.

National Pandemic Flu Service

Flu information: 0800 1 513 513, flu treatment 0800 1 513 100

If you are in England and feel like you may have swine flu, visit the National Pandemic Flu Service by following the link below, or call 0800 1 513 100 (textphone - 0800 1 513 200).

People who have swine flu symptoms will be given a unique access number and told where their nearest antiviral collection point is. They should then ask a flu friend - a friend or relative who doesn't have swine flu - to go and pick up their antivirals from their nearest antiviral collection point. The flu friend must show their own ID as well as that of the patient.

Check your symptoms

Follow the link below or call 0800 1 513 100 (textphone - 0800 1 513 200)

Contact your doctor directly rather than using the National Pandemic Flu Service if:

  • you have a serious underlying illness
  • you are pregnant
  • you have a sick child under one year old
  • your condition suddenly gets much worse
  • your condition is still getting worse after seven days (five for a child)

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

If you are in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland the advice is different.

Follow the 'information around the UK' link below.

Evidence that you are sick

You do not need to provide a doctor’s sick note for the first seven days you are sick. If you are sick for more than seven days, you will need to ask your doctor for a sick note for your employer.

For more information, follow the link below.

Do you have swine flu (influenza A H1N1)?

Symptoms of swine flu include a fever, cough, headache, weakness and fatigue, aching muscles and joints, sore throat and a runny nose.

Learn how to check if you have swine flu and who is most at risk.

Treatment and prevention

Find out how and where to get antiviral drugs to treat swine flu.

You can also find out more about the swine flu vaccination programme, or find tip son how to limit the risk of catching it in the first place.

Pregnant women and parents

If you are a parent or expectant mother, follow the 'schools, parents and pregnant women' for tips to keep yourself and your child safe from swine flu.

Pregnant women can also find information by downloading the 'swine flu and pregnancy' information leaflet.

Travel advice

If you have swine flu, do not travel until after your symptoms have stopped.

If you need to cancel your holiday, keep all the original documentation you receive, including the label from your medication, as insurers will need it to validate your travel insurance claim.

Travelling to the UK

While there have been cases of swine flu in the UK, travel to the UK is not restricted.

If you get swine flu while in the UK you will be able to access the same advice and treatment as UK residents. However, if you have symptoms of swine flu, you should delay travelling until you are well.

Government action

The National Pandemic Flu Service has been launched, with antivirals available at local collection points. If you feel like you may have swine flu, visit the new website by following the link below, or call 0800 1 513 100.

Find out what else the government is doing to help combat swine flu and protect everyone living in the UK.

Swine flu information leaflets and videos

Flu video

There's a simple way to remember this: CATCH IT. BIN IT. KILL IT.

As well as the standard English version, the Swine Flu Information leaflet is also available in more than 15 other languages.

Large print and spoken versions are available for people who have difficulty reading, as is a Braille copy for the partially sighted. There is also a British Sign Language version for the hearing impaired.

You can also watch the TV advert.

Asylum seekers, refugees and foreign nationals

A number of leaflets explaining the current situation with swine flu have been published for people who cannot speak or read English. These include asylum seekers, refugees and other foreign nationals.

For the Arabic version of this leaflet, follow the 'swine flu – Arabic' link below.

For alternative language versions, follow the 'information for asylum seekers, refugees and foreign nationals' link below.

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