The Media Winter 2010 flu vaccine drive

Hospital bans friends and family from visiting all patients as swine flu death toll hits 36

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 4:35 PM on 30th December 2010

• Cases of flu in England and Wales soar by 45% in a week
• Swine flu reaches epidemic proportions in under-fives
• 39 dead from flu - 36 from H1N1 virus

Health chiefs today closed a hospital to visitors in an effort to contain an outbreak of swine flu.

As 22 people battled the virus in intensive care across Merseyside and Cheshire, bosses banned friends and relatives from visiting wards at Arrowe Park Hospital.

The drastic steps had been taken to 'reduce the risk of visitors with cold and flu symptoms spreading infections to patients and staff', said a spokesman.

It comes as official figures reveal 39 people have died from flu since October including 36 from the swine flu strain.

Most friends and family will be turned away from Arrowe Park, but officials will decide whether to allow visitors for patients with life-threatening illnesses on a case by case basis
 

MOTHER OF FOUR IN FIGHT FOR HER LIFE

A pregnant mother of four is fighting for her life after contracting swine flu.
Gemma Escott, 27, who is six months' pregnant, was taken to hospital by her husband Martyn on Christmas Day with breathing problems.

 

Mrs Escott (pictured), who was diagnosed with swine flu and pneumonia, is now in a medically induced coma on a life support machine after her kidneys began to fail.
Devastated Mr Escott, from Evercreech in Somerset, was last night at his wife’s bedside at Yeovil District Hospital praying she would pull through.

The couple have four children under the age of eight. His mother Davinia Pendlebury said: ‘Martyn is beside himself at the moment.

‘It started a week ago when she thought she just had a cold. On Christmas Day, Gemma was complaining of chest pains and not being able to breathe.’

Mrs Pendlebury added: ‘Martyn was so worried he took her to hospital. She is in a sedated coma and on life support.

‘We’re just hoping she will be okay.’

Meanwhile, overall cases of flu have soared by 45 per cent in the past week - most of which are suspected to be the H1N1 swine flu strain.

Professor John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the HPA, said: 'We are seeing a large amount of flu circulating across the country and would urge those people in an at-risk group to have their seasonal flu vaccine as soon as possible as this is the best way to protect themselves from flu this winter.'

The figures from the Royal College of General Practitioners also revealed a flu epidemic has broken out among children under four.

Cases of the illness in children aged one to four years old have soared to more than 200 per 100,000, the level of an epidemic.

But the true scale of the crisis is much worse, according to a leading expert, who said the figures were an underestimate.

Hospitals will soon have to start denying critically ill people treatment in intensive care units as they have been swamped with flu patients.

Many are now ‘desperately’ short of beds and nurses, an NHS pressure group warned last night.
 

Geoff Martin, of Health Emergency, said: ‘Cuts in recent years to bed and staff numbers have left the NHS dangerously exposed and there is no doubt that many intensive care units will soon have to close to new admissions, putting hundreds of lives at risk.’

Arrowe Park has responded to the swine flu crisis by announcing they will turn visitors away from 4pm today to try and stop the virus spreading further.
 

The hospital is expected to remain closed into the weekend.

At least one scheduled clinic was cancelled today and bosses said they were meeting on a daily basis to revise the situation.

The hospital stressed that patients battling life-threatening illnesses would be allowed visitors depending on their condition and that ward managers would make those decisions on a case by case basis.
 

At Wirral Women and Children's Hospital, connected to Arrowe Park, patients in the maternity and gynaecology wards will be allowed visits from their partners - as long as they do not have flu-like symptoms.

Tina Long, director of Nursing and Midwifery at the Hospital, said: 'We are asking visitors to please bear with us at this time and not to come to the hospital to visit friends or family members unless they are very seriously ill.

'This temporary suspension of visiting will help us to concentrate on looking after those patients who need to be in hospital. We will of course lift this restriction as soon as we can.'

Liverpool PCT said that it was not its policy to publish swine flu figures for individual hospitals but other hospitals in Merseyside said their visiting hours remained unchanged, despite the rise in flu cases.
 

Alder Hey and the Royal Liverpool Hospital are both open to visitors tomorrow and Liverpool PCT said it was unaware of any other hospitals suspending visits.
 

Senior GP Dr John Hussey, of Liverpool PCT said that anyone at risk should get a flu vaccination.
 

He added: 'For the majority of normally health adults who catch the flu, it will be unpleasant and inconvenient, but they will begin to feel better within four to five days. 
 

'If symptoms are not getting better, patients should call their GP for further advice, but again they should not visit the surgery, as they risk passing on their infection to vulnerable people. 
 

'If you need to pick up medication, including anti-virals, ask a friend, family member or neighbour to pick them up for you.
 

'People with chronic lung, heart, liver, kidney or neurological problems, as well as those with weakened immune systems, can become seriously ill, as well as over-65s and pregnant women. They should telephone their GP if they think they have flu-symptoms.

'These people should make sure they have the flu vaccine to protect themselves.'

He added: 'Children under five with flu like symptoms should be assessed by a health care professional.'

Those with concerns are advised to call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.