Impact of swine flu on East Yorks revealed
HEALTH officials have revealed the impact of swine flu in Hull and the East Riding.
Figures obtained by the Mail under the Freedom Of Information Act show two lives have been lost as a result of the virus and other people have had to be hospitalised.
The details from NHS Hull and NHS East Riding of Yorkshire, the region's primary care trusts, as well as Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Castle Hill Hospital in Cottingham, and Hull Royal Infirmary, show:
Two adults, who both had underlying health conditions, died as a result of swine flu.
Nineteen people – 17 adults and two children – were hospitalised as a result of the virus.
Four Hull adults have been or are being treated in intensive care due to swine flu.
Officials said the average length of stay in hospital for patients recorded as a swine flu admission is 24 days.
However, they said the length of stay for these patients may be as a result of conditions other than swine flu.
Jim Deacon, assistant director of emergency planning for the NHS in the Humber region, said: "We have a lot of sympathy for those people that were admitted to hospital and became very poorly, including the two who died locally.
"But for the majority of people, it's a fairly mild illness with probably something like 10 working days lost for the average person that caught it.
"If you look at the number of hospital admissions and the number of people that have died locally, we have been relatively mildly affected compared with certain parts of the country, including the West Midlands around Birmingham, Walsall and Dudley, and also parts of London."
The National Pandemic Flu Service website and phone number closed on February 11 after a steady decline in the number of new cases of swine flu.
Mr Deacon said: "In this area, swine flu affected all age groups.
"But the predominant group was six months to 18 years. We had more people in that group affected than other groups."
4 Comments
by Costello, Beverlonium
Friday, March 12 2010, 11:33AM
“Well, we all had it at work and despite the big NHS posters, we were all told to come in to work. Hence, several of us ended up with secondary infections and time off (signed off by GP who was furious with the local authority for telling us to go in)
So there you have it, we all got hauled in afterwards for a 'review'
(ie Bo*****ing)”
by Pete, hull
Friday, March 12 2010, 11:01AM
“Do not forget the drug companies”
by Charles, Cott
Friday, March 12 2010, 10:38AM
“Perhaps HDM could compare these figures with deaths from seasonal flu which strikes every year and regularly crops thousands. The swine flu hysteria is a shameful episode in the a long series of bad reporting on health issues by the UK media.”
by Steven Mennell, Hull East
Friday, March 12 2010, 9:43AM
“That is just what our family told Hull Daily Mail when our family was in the paper a few months ago. you have to look at it with open eyes only 980 children have had the injection on the last count out of 18.000 children who could have it.
The virus does affect people with underlining health problems but we have had swine flue all we had was plenty of vitamins and orange juice and lot¿s of water and rest for 3 day¿s that is just as good as a needle in the arm.
What the government does not tell you is that more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications; and about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes this was before swine flue and the numbers for this year are going to be around the same or maybe less because of the wide spread worry.
Tamflu is not a cure or does not stop you gettinig it. the drug just speed's up recovery by about 24hrs”