Ivan Browne, Public Health Consultant with Leicester City NHS, will give a verbal update at the meeting on levels of flu in the City and how they are being dealt with.
Minutes:
Ivan Browne, Public Health Consultant with Leicester City NHS, gave a verbal update on levels of flu in the City and how they were being dealt with:-
· During 2010/11, one of the largest increases for a long time in the incidence of flu was experienced. There were a lot of viruses around, which led to a very sharp increase in reported respiratory illness;
· A graph comparing flu levels in Leicester City in 2009/10 and 2010/11 was tabled at the meeting. This is attached at the end of these minutes for information;
· Leicester tended to experience flu before other areas of the country. Its levels of flu this year were not considerably higher than national levels, but were experienced earlier than in many other parts of the country;
· Very high numbers of people had accessed emergency care departments, resulting in 509 confirmed or suspected influenza admissions in December 2010. Of these, 17 needed critical care, as a result of which a number of elective procedures needed to be rescheduled;
· A lot had been learnt from the Swine Flu outbreak in 2009/10, so the authorities were quick to react this year;
· This year, anti-viral medication had been distributed through community pharmacists, but they had not been advised in advance that this would be done. They therefore had not had an opportunity to acquire stocks of the medication. However, when it appeared that there would be a shortage, some stocks were obtained from the national stockpile. As a result, the area did not run out of anti-viral medication;
· A vaccination programme also was undertaken this year. When the vaccine became in short supply, arrangements were made to share it between surgeries, so supplies did not run out; and
· Flu levels were now returning to expected levels.
The following points were then made in discussion on this item:-
· The flu season had occurred a few weeks earlier this year than last;
· Some people had refused the flu vaccine this year, as that given in 2009 had made some people feel ill and some people did not want it if it contained a swine flu vaccine. This initially had led to low take-up of the vaccine, but as flu levels increased, so had take-up levels;
· It was not known why Leicester had such high levels of flu. Investigations had been made in to likely factors as far back as the early twentieth century, but no conclusive evidence had been found. The suggestion that the physical location of the City, in a dip, could be a factor would be considered;
· Although the severity of flu in children became a major issue, the Department of Health decided that it was not appropriate to vaccinate children under five. Health representatives from across Leicester raised their concerns about this with the government, but the reply had been that vaccinations should continue to be targeted to the previously identified “at risk” groups; and
· From the start of the vaccination programme, expectant mothers were a high priority, as they experienced the worst outcomes from having flu. A lot of work was done to raise the profile of the vaccination programme, which saw the number of people electing to be vaccinated increase.