THE NHS HAS added important information to their website for UK residents who may be worried about the swine flu virus.
Swine flu is a form of influenza that originated in pigs but can be caught by, and spread among, people.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Outbreaks of swine flu happen regularly in pigs. People do not normally get swine influenza, though infections do sometimes happen. In the recent past, most human cases of swine influenza have been in people who were in close contact with pigs, such as farmers. In the current outbreak the virus has been spread by person-to-person contact.
In the current swine flu outbreak, human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses has also been confirmed in the US, Canada, the UK, and other countries.
If you have flu-like symptoms and have recently travelled to Mexico or been in contact with someone who has, stay at home and contact either your GP or NHS Direct on 0845 4647.
View the ‘Catch It! Bin It! Kill It!’ public information video here:
Find out more at the NHS website here.
