A confirmed case of Swine Flu has been found in the UK for the first time in over a decade after a new strain called H1N2 was confirmed.
The discovery of the case, in North Yorkshire, has led to a surge of interest in the original H1N1 Swine Flu epidemic that hit the UK back in 2009, killing hundreds of people before it became a pandemic.
Fortunately, the victim of the confirmed case of the new H1N2 strain has made a full recovery, but not everyone in 2009 was so fortunate.
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The House of Lords Library states that the death toll in 2009 to 2010’s Swine Flu outbreak was 457 in the UK.
Although there is no reason to think that the new strain will reach the same levels, health experts are advising people to take care and be aware of the symptoms to avoid catching the new strain, which originated in pigs but is now transmitted from person to person, mostly in the air.
The UKHSA said it is now carrying out contact tracing to prevent further spread of the virus.
It is not known at this stage how transmissible the strain is or if there could be other cases in the UK and it said it is also too early to say if the strain could have pandemic potential.
There have been about 50 reported human cases worldwide of the H1N2 virus since 2005, none of them related genetically to this strain.
Based on early information, the UKHSA said the strain detected in the UK differs from recent human cases of H1N2 elsewhere in the world, but is similar to viruses in UK pigs.
In 2009, there was a pandemic in humans caused by flu strain H1N1, commonly referred to as swine flu.
The House of Lords Library states: “In July 2009, the then Chief Medical Officer for England, Sir Liam Donaldson, initially estimated that between 19,000 and 65,000 deaths could occur in the UK as a result of swine flu.
“These estimates were subsequently scaled down. During the 2009–10 outbreak, the total number of UK deaths caused by swine flu was 457.”
By comparison, 1,789 patients had died of Covid in hospitals by March 2020, just a few months into the Coronavirus pandemic.
The Lords went on: “To combat swine flu, the Labour Government launched a swine flu information line enabling members of the public to use an automated telephone service to diagnose their symptoms. The Department of Health focused on the mass distribution of ‘antiviral’ drugs such as Tamiflu.
“The Government also launched an advertising campaign designed to help members of the public understand how they could limit the spread of flu, including the ‘catch it, bin it, kill it’ slogan. Its planning was shaped by the 2002 strategy, Pandemic Flu: A National Framework for Responding to an Influenza Pandemic.
“During the subsequent debate on the report in the House of Lords on 7 December 2009, the committee’s chair, Lord Sutherland of Houndwood (Crossbench), stated that the UK had been fortunate that the impact of the swine flu outbreak was more mild than initially expected. He warned of the danger of complacency, including within the Department of Health. He also called for more testing of the UK’s preparedness to respond to a pandemic flu outbreak.”
According to Great Ormond Street Hospital, the leading children’s hospital in the UK, anybody can catch swine flu but you can only catch it from someone who already has it.
If a child starts to feel unwell, they must tell an adult as soon as possible.
The key symptom of swine flu is a temperature of 38C (or 100.4F).
Other symptoms include a cough, sore throat, aches and feeling cold or tired.
Instead of going to the doctor, because swine flu is highly contagious, a parents should get advice from a place called The National Pandemic Flu Service. You can visit the website or call 0800 1 513 100.
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