swine flu

[Dee Sa]

I heard on LBC radio yesterday that if you get swine flu [ heaven forbid] that you can take two weeks off work without a certificate instead of the usual one, mainly because you wont be better after one week and you will all clog up the GP's waiting room for certs.
Is this true ? what are the symptoms anyway ?

[sqad617]

Sounds sensible to me.

The symptoms of swine flu are exactly the same as ordinary flu except that they may be milder........hot, sweaty headache, joint pains and perhaps diarrhoea in the case of swine flu.

H1N1 (swine flu) can only be diagnosed by blood tests.

How do you know you have contracted SWINE Flu?

[hc4361]

It is just a proposal at the moment.
People with suspected swine flu could be allowed to take up to two weeks off work without a doctor�s note, under plans for dealing with the pandemic being discussed by the Government. Employees are at present allowed to sign themselves off sick for up to seven days.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_styl e/health/article6682229.ece

[Dee Sa]

tks for both answers, I work in a care home and one resident has had bouts of diarrohea and I was just wondering ------
Dee

[Mike-Robe]

It is not completely certain how long people remain infectious, and there needs to be a careful balance between keeping people away from work when they might infect others (particularly if they are healthcare workers) and with keeping so many people off work that essential public services are compromised. There is more justification for the latter if the virus is more dangerous - but fortunately swine flu appears no worse that ordinary seasonal flu.
Many hospitals are asking staff with flu to stay off for 7 days. If staff stayed off for 14 days there would be much more risk to patients who need essential treatment, from staff shortages.
The easiest way to confirm swine flu is by nose and throat swabs by PCR, but this is only recommended now for patients admitted to hospital. Clinical diagnosis by symptoms is quite accurate with so many cases now.

[sqad617]

Mike...I understand that is because H1N1 is the "only show" in town, but come October the annual rhinoviruses will "pop in" with the same symptoms, so how will they be separated for epidemiological studies?

Any evidence so far that H1N1 has changed it's antigenic structure?