Swine flu advice for people with copd, bronchiectasis, ILD

The current outbreak of swine flu has received massive coverage in the media over the last few weeks. We are receiving many calls to the helpline and thought it might be helpful to you if we put down some of the facts that we have obtained directly from the Department of Health about what to do for the best.

The symptoms of swine flu are very similar to usual flu.They include fever (with a temperature of over 38o centigrade or 100 o Fahrenheit), cough, sore throat, body aches, chills and fatigue.Some people get sickness and diarrhoea as well.

People with pre-existing lung conditions are no more likely to catch swine flu than anyone else. In fact people over 60 are less likely to catch it as they have built up some immunity to H1N1 by being around during previous flu outbreaks.But if you do get swine flu because of your pre-existing lung problems you are likely to be more at risk than some other people.

In order to make sure you do everything you can to avoid catching swine flu it is helpful to understand that the virus lives for 24 hours on solid surfaces and 2 hours on soft ones (like your clothes). This is why the advice is to make sure that if you sneeze you use a tissue and dispose of it immediately and to use alcohol wipes on solid surfaces.

If you do suspect you have swine flu please use one of the following telephone numbers, depending on where you live.

England – The National Pandemic Flu Service number is 0800 1 513 100.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, are not taking part in the National Pandemic Flu Service as the demand for advice and information is not as high. The contact numbers for each of these countries are:

Scotland - if you are worried about flu-like symptoms, continue to contact your GP or NHS 24 on 08454 24 24 24

Wales - if symptoms are causing concern, or you are in an at risk group such as those with heart and lung disease, children under five or pregnant women, phone NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 or phone your GP

Northern Ireland – if you are worried about flu-like symptoms, contact the NI Swine Flu Helpline on 0800 0514 142 (8 am to 8 pm daily) or your GP out of hours service.”

If you are diagnosed with swine flu you will be prescribed an antiviral either Tamiflu or Relenza. This will help to reduce the length of time you are ill by around one day, relieve some of the symptoms and reduce the potential for serious complications such as pneumonia. Tamiflu is safe to take, however as Relenza is given in an inhaled form it is not usually given to people with respiratory conditions as on rare occasions it can cause breathing complications. Antivirals can have side effects which your doctor will advise you on when prescribing them.

The vaccine for swine flu is in the process of preparation and the Department of Health hopes it will be ready for use in the Autumn. It will consist of two injections and will be given in addition to the usual flu or pneumonia injections if you usually have these.

  • You can reduce the risk of catching or spreading swine flu by:
  • Covering your nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing.
  • Disposing of used tissues carefully straight away.
  • Keeping good basic hygiene, for example washing your hands on entering a new building after being on public transport to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face, or to other people.
  • Cleaning hard surfaces, such as door handles, frequently using a normal cleaning produce or alcohol rub.
  • If you have soft toys for children to play with then wash them after use and regularly clean other toys with a child safe cleaning product.