Thousands given antivirals on first day of flu service

Scientists work on developing the H1N1 vaccine inside a Bio-safety Level 3 lab at Sillapakorn University on the outskirts of Bangkok. PHOTO/File

LONDON, Sunday

More than 5,500 people received antiviral drugs for the H1N1 virus on the first day of England’s pandemic flu service, the health secretary said yesterday.

The drugs were distributed on Thursday after consultation through the telephone and web advice service.

“People in need of antivirals are able to get them quickly and conveniently using the new service and it is freeing up GPs to look after patients in risk groups as well as those with other illnesses,” said Health Secretary Andy Burnham in a statement.

“We’re greatly encouraged that the flu service is doing the job intended, but we’re also aware that the system is in its early days and we are keeping its operation under close review.”

Patients using the service can get a diagnosis and prescription without visiting a GP, speeding up access to drugs. It is staffed by about 1,500 call centre staff who ask callers a series of questions about their symptoms.

It was launched on the same day the Health Protection Agency announced 100,000 people were estimated to be suffering from H1N1 in England, nearly double the amount the previous week.

At least 30 people have died in Britain during the outbreak. The website received an initial 2,600 hits a second, media reports said. More than 58,000 assessments were completed, 89 per cent of which were self-assessments on the website.

The number of pick-up points for the drugs has increased from 330 to 1,000 since Thursday. “These figures show that, despite an unprecedented demand for the National Pandemic Flu Service, the phone line and website are running well, illustrating once again how wonderfully resilient the NHS and its healthcare professionals are,” Burnham said. (Reuters)