Emergencies - Swine Flu

Swine flu, or influenza A (H1N1), has arrived in the UK. The sections below provide health and travel advice and more information on what swine flu is and what the government is doing to help combat it.

Latest News. Published: 17 September 2009

Figures reported by the Department of Health on Thursday 17 September, showed that the rates of flu-like illness and related activity have started to increase in England. The increase was mainly seen in school age children.

The Health Protection Agency estimated that there were around 5,000 new cases in England last week (up from an estimated 3,000 the week before). The majority of cases continue to be mild.

Vaccine

The government has announced that priority for the swine flu vaccine will be given to at-risk groups. These include pregnant women and people with serious underlying health conditions.

Vaccinations for these groups are expected to begin in the autumn. Steps are being taken to extend the vaccination programme to other people once this stage has been completed.

What is swine flu (influenza A H1N1)?

Swine influenza is a disease in pigs. The virus currently transmitting directly among people is now generally referred to as swine flu although the origin of the disease is still under investigation. There is no evidence of this strain of the disease circulating in pigs in the UK.

Although symptoms of swine flu have generally been mild, a small number of patients will develop more serious illness. Certain groups of people, and people with other health conditions, such as heart or lung disease, are at increased risk.

To find out more about the cause of swine flu and how it differs from ordinary flu click here

Protecting yourself against swine flu

Swine flu, like seasonal flu, is easily spread by the tiny droplets in a cough or sneeze. You may sneeze into an empty space but you will leave germs on a surface that another person will pick up simply by touching that surface. By taking a few simple steps you can help to reduce the risk of getting swine flu and to stop the virus spreading.

To download swine flu advice leaflet (PDF, 119K) click here

Government Action

The UK has now moved from the containment to the treatment phase of swine flu. This allows resources to be focused on the increasing numbers of people catching swine flu.

To find out more about what the government is doing to help combat swine flu and protect everyone living in the UK click here

International travel advice

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) provides detailed travel advice for specific countries affected by swine flu. If you are in Mexico, routine consular and visa services at the Embassy in Mexico City have now reopened. If you'd like more travel advice for specific countries click here

Flu alert levels

The current alert level is 6.

To find out exactly what the World Health Organisation (WHO) phases mean and how this can indicate how far the virus has spread click here