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Showing results for tags 'Influenza / pneumonia'.
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News Article
At least 216 children have died of influenza in the US during the last flu season in what the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said was classified as the first high severity season overall and for all age groups since 2017-2018. That number marks the highest pediatric death toll in 15 years; the previous high reported for a regular (non-pandemic) season was 236 pediatric deaths in the 2009-2010 season, according to the CDC. More recently, 207 paediatric deaths were reported during the 2023-2024 season. The high number of paediatric fatalities reported for the past flu season comes as health authorities in New York said that 25 children in the state had succumbed to influenza-associated paediatric deaths – the highest recorded amount ever in New York. “As we begin to analyze the data from the 2024-2025 influenza season, we see this flu season was a challenging flu season for all, yet particularly for children,” said New York state’s health commissioner, Dr James McDonald. The health commissioner warned that “misinformation around vaccines has in recent years contributed to a rise in vaccine hesitancy and declining vaccination rates”. Of the 25 pediatric deaths attributed to flu, only one involved a vaccinated child and five were below six-month age minimum to receive the flu vaccine. “We live in a challenging time, where honest objective information is sometimes blurred by misinformation – therefore, it remains the department’s goal to continue to provide as much education and information as possible about flu and other vaccines that remain our best protection against many viruses and preventable diseases,” McDonald said. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 8 May 2025- Posted
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Trump administration cancels meeting on flu shots, fueling anti-vax concerns
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The Trump administration has cancelled a meeting of scientific experts called to discuss next winter’s flu shots in a move that has underscored fears of emerging anti-vaccine polices under the new health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which Kennedy oversees, notified members of its vaccines and related biological products advisory committee on Thursday that the next meeting scheduled for 13 March was cancelled without providing an explanation. No new date was set for a meeting and scientists warned that the cancellation risked undermining the development of flu vaccines for next year. The committee was due to discuss the development of appropriate vaccine for combatting expected prevalent influenza strains next year, using data provided by the World Health Organization, from which the US recently withdrew, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Committee members were given no advance notice that the meeting, which is held in late February or late March every year, was to be called off. “We’re all left trying to understand what is going on. Why was this meeting cancelled? It’s an important meeting. What’s the plan for flu vaccines this year,” Paul Offit, a committee member and director of the vaccine education centre at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, told CBS. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 27 February 2025- Posted
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While the US declared its intention to leave the World Health Organization (WHO) on 20 January, the process of severing ties with the international public health body formally takes one year. Yet US health agencies have already retreated from nearly all coordinated global health efforts around influenza surveillance. The move could jeopardise the efficacy of the next batch of flu vaccines both for the US and the rest of the world. This comes as the US is in the midst of its most severe flu season in 15 years. At least 29 million people in the country have caught the illness since October and roughly 16,000 have died from it – and the season is only half over. Numerous factors are probably behind the surge, including lower vaccination rates, says Erin Sorrell at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. All of this underscores the importance of an upcoming WHO meeting. Scheduled for 28 February, the meeting will bring together influenza experts from around the world to select which strains the next flu shot will target. The decision is based on influenza samples collected from 151 national laboratories across 127 countries. These samples are then further analysed at WHO collaborating centres to characterise how the virus spreads, evolves and interacts with vaccines and other treatments. These seven collaborating centres, two of which are based in the US, play a major role in global influenza surveillance and response preparedness, says Maria Van Kerkhove at WHO. The trouble is, the US centres stopped communicating with WHO. WHO is currently working with other collaborating centres to fill the information gap left by the US, says Van Kerkhove. The halt in US communication shouldn’t impact the WHO’s ability to develop an effective flu vaccine for next season, she says. But it will certainly make it more challenging to do so in the future. It will also have ramifications for US public health. “We don’t get to provide our input on strains that we are most concerned about in the US and discuss mutations that we are observing here. Our technical experts, who are some of the best in the world, are not able to contribute to that conversation,” says Sorrell. “So, we are not only putting the world at a disadvantage, but absolutely the average American who would be looking to be vaccinated next year against seasonal flu.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: The New Scientist, 21 February 2025 -
News Article
Outpatient visits have surged to their highest levels since the peak of the 2009 swine flu pandemic, with influenza-related emergency department visits remaining very high across the US. Notably, flu-related outpatient vists are now at their highest point since 2009, with 7.8% of visits for inflenza in the week ending 1 February 2025. Nineteen states reported high respiratory virus activity and thirteen states reported very high activity. The CDC reported that flu test positivity has risen to 31.6%, while COVID-19 positivity decreased to 4.9% and RSV positivity decreased to 6.6%. Emergency department visits for influenza remained very high, while visits for Covid-19 were low and RSV-related visits were moderate. Vaccination coverage for both COVID-19 and influenza remained low, and RSV vaccine uptake is also notably low for both children and adults. Read full story Source: Becker's Clinical Leadership, 11 February 2025 -
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Where is the flu surging across the US? Hospitals restrict access as cases spike
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
U.S. hospitals are feeling the strain of this flu season, with many announcing visitor restrictions as cases remain elevated nationwide. Minnesota hospitals are leaning on triage systems to deal with the influx of patients and hospitals in North Carolina and South Carolina have prohibited visits from children and teenagers. Hospital visitors in Indiana have been strongly encouraged to wear face masks, and Washington state health officials reported that local emergency departments are seeing five times the threshold of flu visits that would alert officials to increased transmission. The latest data from federal health officials estimates that there have been at least 9.1 million illnesses and 110,000 hospitalizations thus far this flu season. Emergency room visits are now very high. There have also been 4,700 deaths, including 16 children who have died. Read full story Source: The Independent, 17 January 2025- Posted
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Hospital wards face ‘pandemic-level’ strain with soaring flu cases triggering winter crisis
Mark Hughes posted a news article in News
Around 20 hospital trusts across England have declared critical incidents with staff facing ‘mammoth demand’ due to the cold weather and flu. England’s top doctor has warned staff in hospitals are facing conditions similar to the “height of the pandemic” amid a national surge in flu cases on wards. NHS figures reveal there were an average of more than 5,400 patients with flu in hospitals each day last week, up 21 per cent from the previous week and more than three times the level seen at the same point last year. Visits to A&E also rose to an unprecedented level for December, making last year the busiest ever year for emergency departments. Professor Stephen Powis, the national medical director for NHS England, said: “It is hard to quantify just through the data how tough it is for frontline staff at the moment – with some staff working in A&E saying that their days at work feel like some of the days we had during the height of the pandemic.” Read full article. Source: Independent, 9 January 2024- Posted
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Royal Liverpool Hospital declares critical incident over soaring flu cases
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A major hospital has declared a critical incident following a surge in flu and other respiratory illnesses across the region. Royal Liverpool Hospital declared the incident due to “exceptionally high demand” over patients being admitted to emergency services wards. It comes after it was reported patients were facing waits of up to 50 hours at the hospital’s emergency department. A critical incident is declared after a hospital temporarily or permanently loses the ability to deliver critical services or where patients have been harmed - requiring support from other agencies, according to NHS England. A University Hospitals of Liverpool Group spokesperson said: “We have seen an increasing number of people with flu and respiratory illnesses in our emergency departments in recent weeks. “Given the exceptionally high demands on our Emergency Department, especially with flu and respiratory illnesses, and the number of patients, we have taken this action to support the safe care and treatment of our patients, which is our absolute priority.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 7 January 2025- Posted
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The bereaved parents of a toddler who died from the flu after a “catalogue of failings” by a hospital say they are still waiting for answers about their daughter’s tragic death. Cristiana Banciu died in January 2020 after a rare reaction to the flu, while under the care of King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. In 2021, an inquest identified multiple failings by trust staff, who it found had “failed to provide basic medical attention” to the two-year-old. Three years later, the trust agreed to pay her parents Alexandru and Georgiana £25,000 following a civil claim for bereavement costs and to cover Cristiana’s funeral expenses. However, the couple say the trust has not admitted legal liability or sent a formal apology directly to them – an apology has only come via the media. The parents want reassurance that such a tragic event will not happen again. At Cristiana’s inquest, assistant coroner Jacqueline Devonish said healthcare professionals had “failed to provide basic medical attention”, which contributed to her death. The coroner could not, on the balance of probabilities, say that she would have survived had she been treated sooner, but suggested that she would probably have had a better chance, describing the failure to record her score on the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) as “very serious”. Read full story Source: The Independent, 3 January 2025- Posted
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Urgent ‘festive flu’ warning as NHS urges people to book pre-Christmas jab
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Eligible people are being urged to take their last change to book flu jabs online in coming days to avoid the ‘festive flu’ ahead of Christmas. NHS bosses say people will likely need to travel further to get vaccinated if they miss the “last chance saloon” of online bookings, which closes on December 20. While more than half a million flu and COVID vaccinations have been booked in the last five weeks, an earlier-than-expected surge of seasonal viruses has increased flu-related hospital admissions by 70 per cent over seven days this month. Steve Russell, national director for vaccinations and screening at NHS England, said: “With just three days to go, we are now in the last chance saloon to book extra protection against ‘festive flu’ via the online service. “It’s important to remember that after Thursday, you may have to travel quite a bit further to get jabbed, with appointments no longer in as convenient places like supermarkets or car parks.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 17 December 2024 -
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NHS warns of 'tidal wave' of flu as hospital cases rise 70% in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The number of hospital beds in England occupied by patients with flu has increased by 70% in a week, NHS England said, as it warned of a “tidal wave of flu hitting hospitals”. Health leaders said that people eligible for their free flu jab should get vaccinated as soon as possible to avoid “festive flu”. An average of 1,861 flu patients were in hospitals in England each day last week, including 66 in critical care beds, NHS figures show. This is up from 1,099 patients the previous week, when 39 were in critical care. It is also more than four times the figure at this point last year. NHS England said cases of norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) were also on the rise. Prof Sir Stephen Powis, the national medical director for NHS England, said on Thursday: “The tidal wave of flu cases and other seasonal viruses hitting hospitals is really concerning for patients and for the NHS – the figures are adding to our ‘quad-demic’ worries. “While the NHS has plans in place to manage additional demand over the busy winter period, with one week left to book your vaccine, I cannot stress enough the importance of getting booked in to protect yourself against serious illness and to avoid ‘festive flu’.” Read full story Source: The Guardian, 12 December 2024 -
News Article
NHS leaders have warned hospitals are “busier than ever” for this time of year, as new figures show the number of people in hospital with flu is four times higher than in the same period last year. Nurses have said there is “barely a spare bed in the NHS” and that staff and patients are “desperately worried” about the coming weeks and months. Health leaders have warned that the service is facing a “quad-demic” of disease going into winter amid rising cases of flu, Covid-19, norovirus and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). NHS national medical director, Professor Sir Stephen Powis, urged eligible people to get vaccinated as soon as possible amid growing fears over the health service’s capacity to cope with a “quad-demic”. He said: “For a while there have been warnings of a ‘tripledemic’ of Covid, flu and RSV this winter, but with rising cases of norovirus this could fast become a ‘quad-demic’ so it’s important that if you haven’t had your Covid or flu jab to follow the lead of millions of others and come forward and get protected as soon as possible.” Commenting on the figures, Patricia Marquis, executive director for England for the Royal College of Nursing, said: “There is barely a spare bed in our NHS, with sky-high flu admissions and thousands stuck in hospital unable to be discharged due to a lack of capacity in social care. “Before the cold weather hits, nursing staff and patients are desperately worried about what the coming weeks and months may bring.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 5 December 2024- Posted
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Popular cold medications don’t work, say experts, as US considers ban
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A pharmacy drugs expert says many popular cold and flu remedies should be banned because they are a waste of money. It comes as as the American Food and Drug Administration wants to stop phenylephrine, which is widely used in cough and cold medicines from being sold in the US. The ingredient is in some of the best-selling remedies such as Sudafed, Benadryl, Lemsip and Beechams. Hisham Al-Obaidi, a pharmacy lecturer at the University of Reading and an ambulance service advanced pharmacist practitioner, said phenylephrine hydrochloride had minimal activity when taken orally. “Although it is absorbed into the bloodstream, it is extensively broken down in the liver, resulting in little to no pharmacological effect,” Dr Al-Obaidi said. He said that by contrast, the nasal spray is effective. Read full story Source: The Independent, 9 November 2024- Posted
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NHS warns of 18,000 flu deaths since 2022 as it urges vaccination uptake
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
At least 18,000 deaths in England were associated with flu over the past two winters, figures have revealed, as health experts urge those eligible to take up a free vaccination on the NHS. The figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) cover the period from October to May in 2022-2023 and 2023-2024. Over the same timeframe UKHSA estimates a little more than 19,500 deaths were associated with Covid. Steve Russell, the NHS national director for vaccinations and screening, said: “Today’s data showing there were almost 20,000 deaths associated to flu over the past two winters is a shocking reminder that this is a seriously dangerous virus, and I urge those who are eligible to book their vaccine appointment as soon as they can as it is our best way of protecting those who are vulnerable as winter approaches.” UKHSA said uptake of the flu vaccine fell last winter compared with the year before across all eligible groups, including the very young, elderly people and pregnant women. Among people aged six months to 65 years with one or more long-term health condition uptake declined from 49.1% in the winter of 2022-2023 to 41.4% in the winter of 2023-2024. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 30 September 2024 -
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Medics have welcomed clarification from health officials over when the upcoming flu and Covid-19 vaccination programme will begin. NHS England had been criticised for pushing back the start date a month with pharmacists saying the change of plan would likely “catch patients off guard”. While school-aged children will be able to receive the flu shot from 1 September, adults were not expected to start getting flu and Covid jabs until October, a month later than recent years. Officials briefed that the later start time was so sites can co-administer both vaccines wherever possible, to make it more convenient, and to ensure protection in later winter months – typically when viruses are more likely to spread. But NHS England was criticised for a lack of transparency and communication, as healthcare teams had been preparing to provide the service as usual from September. NHS England said to maximise and extend protection during the winter and through the period of greatest risk in December and early January 2024, care home residents and care home staff must start receiving their jabs from 2 October, and other eligible flu and Covid cohorts from 7 October. However, in updated guidance officials said that as some firm commitments and appointments have already been made, any patient wishing to receive their vaccination in September will be allowed to do so. Most people are still likely to have their vaccines in October, officials believe. Responding to news that NHS England will, if needed, now allow practices to deliver both vaccination programmes from September rather than October, Dr Katie Bramall-Stainer, chair of GPC England at the British Medical Association (BMA), said: “This news is very welcome, coming after the BMA made clear yesterday to NHS England that shifting the entire programme at the last minute to October would not only cause widespread confusion, but also serious disruption as flu clinics would have to be rearranged to fit the new timetable." Read full story Source: inews, 11 August 2023- Posted
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Doctors fear NHS could buckle in flu season as staff avoid vaccine
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The NHS could struggle to cope with a catastrophic flu season after leading medics warned of plunging flu vaccine uptake among its frontline staff. NHS figures show just 39% of frontline staff had a flu vaccine in November, down from 52% in November 2020. The worrying statistics mean the already under-strain service could lose crucial staff to illnesses and risk spreading the virus during its busiest winter period. Speaking to The Independent, Dr Adrian Boyle, president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine said: “We are concerned about staff vaccination against flu. Post-pandemic, there is a certain lack of appetite and there is probably a degree of apathy about staff getting vaccinated against flu, and we think that’s a problem. “We need to be doing more to get stuff vaccinated against flu.” He added: “I think societally and as healthcare practitioners, I think we have a moral duty to get ourselves vaccinated so we don't create gaps by going off sick and we don't infect our patients.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 21 December 2023- Posted
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‘Long flu’: study finds flu patients at higher risk of longer-term illness
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
People who have been hospitalised with flu are at an increased risk of longer-term health problems, similar to those with long Covid, data suggests. While the symptoms associated with such “long flu” appear to be more focused on the lungs than ongoing Covid symptoms, in both cases the risk of death and disability was greater in the months after infection than in the first 30 days. “It is very clear that long flu is worse than the flu, and Long Covid is worse than Covid,” said Dr Ziyad Al-Aly, a clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, who led the research. He was motivated to study the phenomenon after observing the scale of long-term illness experienced by people who have recovered from Covid. “Five years ago, it wouldn’t have occurred to me to examine the possibility of a ‘long flu.’ But one of the major lessons we learned from this pandemic is that a virus we all initially thought could only cause acute disease is leaving millions of people with long Covid, he said. “We wondered whether this could be happening with other things. Could this be happening with the flu, for example?” The research, published in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, found that while Covid patients faced a greater risk of death or hospital readmission in the following 18 months, both infections carried a significant risk of ongoing disability and disease. Read full story Source: The Guardian, 14 December 2023- Posted
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Danger warning for hospitals as flu cases soar by 50%
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
NHS leaders have issued a warning over surging flu cases as the number of patients in hospital with the bug soared by more than 50% in a week. An average of 234 people were in hospital with flu each day last week – up 53% on the previous seven days. Figures from NHS England also showed a rise in norovirus cases in hospitals last week with an average of 406 cases per day, up from 351 the previous week and a 28% rise from last year. The latest data comes after public health officials sent a warning over whooping cough levels, with 719 suspected cases reported between July and November, up from 217 last year. This week several NHS hospitals have sent out alerts to the public warning of “extremely busy” A&Es. Dr Tim Cooksley, former president of the Society for Acute Medicine, warned: “Pressures are being exacerbated by increasing rates of sickness among colleagues, as well as pressures on precious resources such as isolation areas and side rooms, adding to the strain on already overstretched services... “Undoubtedly we will see more older patients enduring prolonged degrading periods of corridor care and many people experiencing difficult symptoms whilst they sit on elective waiting lists. “Most hospitals are already experiencing chaotic and dangerous scenarios.” He added that there was “a lack of understanding of the gravity of the situation” from new health secretary Victoria Atkins. Read full story Source: The Independent, 7 December 2023 -
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Hancock calls for routine flu testing as part of major diagnostics expansion
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Matt Hancock has called for British people to routinely get tested for the flu, saying covid diagnostic capacity should be kept and used for “everything” once the pandemic dies down. Speaking at the Commons health and social care committee this morning, the health and social care secretary said the nation “must hold on to” the mass diagnostic capacity it has created for coronavirus. Going further, he called for a change in culture to one of “if in doubt, you get a test”, and for a long-term expansion of diagnostics. Mr Hancock said: “Why in Britain do we think it’s acceptable to solider on when you have flu symptoms or a runny nose, and go in [to work] and make everyone ill? “If you have flu-like symptoms you should have a test for it and find out what is wrong with you and stay at home. We are peculiar outliers in soldiering on and going to work and that… culture, that should change.” Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 24 November 2020- Posted
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Free flu jab offered to all over 50s in England
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
People aged 50 to 64 in England will be able to get a free flu jab from 1 December in an attempt to fight the "twin threats" of flu and COVID-19. The group has been added to a list of people who are already eligible for a flu jab in England, such as those over 65 and health and social care workers. Thirty million people are being offered the vaccine in England's largest flu-immunisation programme to date. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was a winter "like no other". "We have to worry about the twin threats of flu and COVID-19," he said, adding that the coronavirus pandemic meant it was "more important than ever" that people got their flu jabs. Mr Hancock told BBC Breakfast that all over 50s would be able to get the vaccine by January. Read full story Source: BBC News, 20 November 2020- Posted
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The NHS has erroneously written to thousands of patients who have had glandular fever in the past asking them to get a flu jab from their GP. The error left some GPs with practice phone lines blocked last week while reception staff have had to explain to patients they are not actually eligible for free flu vaccination. Nearly 40,000 letters were sent out to patients with a past history indicating glandular fever because of a coding error at NHS Digital. This was meant to identify patients with suppressed immune systems which would include those who currently have glandular fever and encourage them to contact their GP practice to arrange vaccination. However, the historical cases were not excluded, leading to the letters being automatically generated even when the glandular fever diagnosis was decades old. When NHS Digital realised the error, it contacted NHS England – which was responsible for posting out the letters – and managed to stop others being sent out. An NHS Digital spokesman said: “During a process to identify patients eligible for a flu vaccination, glandular fever was incorrectly included in a complex list of conditions that cause persistent immunosuppression. This led to some patients incorrectly receiving a letter encouraging them to seek a flu vaccination. “There has been no adverse clinical impact for patients and the issue was quickly resolved before the majority of letters were sent.” NHSD said patients who had received the letter would receive another one to explain and to reassure them." Read full story (paywalled) Source: HSJ, 4 November 2020- Posted
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A wider range of healthcare workers—including midwives, paramedics, physiotherapists, and pharmacists—are now allowed to give flu and potentially COVID-19 vaccines after the introduction of new laws by the UK government. The changes to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012, first proposed in August1 and consulted upon last month, came into effect on 16 October. The Department of Health and Social Care said that the expanded workforce will have to undergo additional training to ensure patient safety. It added that government planning will “ensure this does not affect other services in hospitals and in GP and community services, by drawing on a pool of experienced NHS professionals through the NHS Bring Back Scheme.” Commenting on the changes, England’s deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said, “The measures outlined today aim to improve access and strengthen existing safeguards protecting patients.” Read full story Source: BMJ, 16 October 2020 -
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Pregnant women must have flu jab this winter, warn health bodies
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
All pregnant women have been urged by doctors to get a free flu vaccination this winter to ensure they and their babies are protected. People can get infected with flu and coronavirus at the same time - with Public Health England finding if you get both simultaneously you may get more seriously ill. Researchers previously said those who have been infected with both viruses face a serious increase to their risk of death and warned the public “not to be complacent” in the wake of fears flu could circulate around the country alongside COVID-19. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and Royal College of Midwives note while getting flu is not a big deal for most people, getting the virus while you are pregnant can be serious for a small proportion of women and their babies. Flu can occasionally lead to stillbirth, maternal death and raise the chances of having a miscarriage. Dr Edward Morris, president of RCOG, said: “We are keen to reassure pregnant women that flu vaccination is safe for women to have at any stage in pregnancy - from the first few weeks right up to their due date, and while breastfeeding." "Over the last 10 years, the flu vaccine has been routinely and safely offered to pregnant women in the UK. The vaccine can also pass some protection to babies, which lasts for the first months of their lives." Read full story Source: The Independent, 12 October 2020 -
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Most people in England to be offered flu vaccine
Clive Flashman posted a news article in News
Most people in England, about 30 million, are to be offered a free flu vaccine this year, the government says. It is to prepare for a winter that could see the annual flu season coincide with a surge in coronavirus. The traditional flu programme will include all over-50s for the first time, as well anyone on the shielding list and the people they live with. Also for the first time, children in their first year of secondary school will all be offered the vaccine. Plans for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have not yet been announced. Read full article here -
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Respiratory patients still avoiding A&E
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Emergency attendances for several conditions are still well below their normal levels, despite a steady increase in overall activity since the peak of the coronavirus outbreak. Weekly data from Public Health England suggests overall A&E attendances increased to around 105,000 in the last week of May, which was an increase from 98,813 over the previous seven days. Data from the 77 A&E departments included in the research suggests that overall attendances are up to an average of 15,000 day, compared to around 10,000 at the peak of the pandemic and the long-term trend of just under 20,000. However, attendances for bronchitis, acute respiratory infections, respiratory, pneumonia, asthma, gastroenteritis are still far below their normal levels. It did not offer an explanation for why attendances for these conditions have remained low, while those for cardiac, influenza, myocardial Ischaemia, and gastrointestinal problems have returned to normal levels or above. Read full story Source: HSJ, 5 June 2020- Posted
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