WIREDGOV

Scotland, along with the rest of the UK, is now moving to the treatment phase for dealing with pandemic flu.

The decision has been taken jointly by all four UK health ministers and it means an end to tracing contacts of confirmed cases and the use of anti-virals to reduce spread.

As in the current outbreak management phase, antivirals will continue to be available to all those who contract the H1N1 virus.

Clinical discretion will be used to decide whether antivirals should be prescribed in individual cases, particularly as doctors are likely to be contacted by patients with coughs, colds and the worried well, in addition to those with pandemic flu.

There will also be an end to routine testing and a move to surveillance with numbers reported regionally on a weekly basis, similar to the current seasonal flu reporting.

Surveillance reports will include:

• The number per 100,000 of the population with a flu-like illness (regionally)
• The percentage of them with H1N1 - based on sampling
• The number currently in hospital with H1N1
• The number of deaths to date

Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon said:

"In recent weeks we have, as expected, seen a significant increase in the number of cases of pandemic flu throughout the UK.

"Given the number of cases, and the evidence of community transmission, we believe now is the right time to move to the treatment phase of dealing with the pandemic.

"This does not mean that the virus is getting more severe or that there is any cause for alarm. It simply means that we are seeing a rise in the number of cases and are adapting our approach to dealing with these.

"I would again reiterate that the risk to the general public remains low. Fortunately, the vast majority of people who get this virus experience only mild symptoms.

"However, we can all play our part by remembering to wash our hands, using a tissue when coughing or sneezing and contacting NHS24 or your GP if you have a fever and feel unwell."

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