I don't think anyone at the moment is really expecting an epidemic of it, but we had better be prepared in case.
For us that means planning for many patients being ill. Possibly many of us doctors and our staff being ill as well.
Also that if people are getting ill with flu that we have ways that we can check over the worst cases for possible complications.
No-one expects that everyone with flu would need to be seen by a doctor. In fact I've been surprised by how many people the experts say get the flu virus but no real symptoms. Most people however will get a typical flu illness.
Our local John Huxham described the symptoms during an epidemic in 1733 here in Devon:
"[It] began with a slight shivering, which was soon succeeded by an uncertain erratic heat, a
heaviness and stoppage of the head, great and very troublesome sneezings, wandering pains
of the limbs, but especially in the back, and often in the breast, but not fixed, though on account of the violent cough frequently very troublesome. By cough and sneezing a vast quantity of thick acrid mucous was thrown off-these seemed only to be the symptoms of a fresh cold as they call it: however soon after some degree of fever came on; sometimes indeed not a small one, and the pulse grew very quick, but by no means hard and tense, as that of pleuritics; nor was the urine very high-coloured, but thick, and for the most part whitish and turbid. The tongue was not dry but daubed over as it were with a great deal of whitish mucus. All complained of want of sleep; a giddiness, or sharp pain in the head, afflicted very many and sometimes a slight delirium; a noise in the ears was troublesome to a vast many, and not a few had an acute pain in the meatus auditorius, which sometimes ended in an imposthume, but a soreness and abcess of the fauces were much more common. All were very apt to sweat; which being plentiful, easy, and continued, within two or three days, carried off the fever entirely ..."
of the limbs, but especially in the back, and often in the breast, but not fixed, though on account of the violent cough frequently very troublesome. By cough and sneezing a vast quantity of thick acrid mucous was thrown off-these seemed only to be the symptoms of a fresh cold as they call it: however soon after some degree of fever came on; sometimes indeed not a small one, and the pulse grew very quick, but by no means hard and tense, as that of pleuritics; nor was the urine very high-coloured, but thick, and for the most part whitish and turbid. The tongue was not dry but daubed over as it were with a great deal of whitish mucus. All complained of want of sleep; a giddiness, or sharp pain in the head, afflicted very many and sometimes a slight delirium; a noise in the ears was troublesome to a vast many, and not a few had an acute pain in the meatus auditorius, which sometimes ended in an imposthume, but a soreness and abcess of the fauces were much more common. All were very apt to sweat; which being plentiful, easy, and continued, within two or three days, carried off the fever entirely ..."
Not much has changed since then actually. We generally expect most people to get a high temperature, marked sweating and muscle aches. Sore throat and headache are common too.
If people are getting flu then coming to the surgery probably only serves to spread it more, so we are expecting to need to provide for a lot of house-calls if it does break out to check on those who might have complications.
Pneumonia is one of the more common and more serious complications of influenza.
People will, of course, come to the surgery anyway, so we have a sort of plan to segregate off an area of the surgery for those with flu to sit and be seen.
Straightforward flu does not need a doctor to assess it. It may be helpful though to consider getting tamiflu for other people in the house if someone does get it. Arrangements to do that should become clearer as time passes, but this will doubtless be done on the phone.
To reduce the risk of flu spreading in the home the American CDC have a helpful page of advice as well as advice on looking after someone with flu.
Hopefully the current scare won't come to anything, but rest assured that we have been planning for the worst case scenario. If it comes to it of course some of our usual services may suffer, but we hope to be able to manage a flu outbreak tolerably well.
If people are getting flu then coming to the surgery probably only serves to spread it more, so we are expecting to need to provide for a lot of house-calls if it does break out to check on those who might have complications.
Pneumonia is one of the more common and more serious complications of influenza.
People will, of course, come to the surgery anyway, so we have a sort of plan to segregate off an area of the surgery for those with flu to sit and be seen.
Straightforward flu does not need a doctor to assess it. It may be helpful though to consider getting tamiflu for other people in the house if someone does get it. Arrangements to do that should become clearer as time passes, but this will doubtless be done on the phone.
To reduce the risk of flu spreading in the home the American CDC have a helpful page of advice as well as advice on looking after someone with flu.
Hopefully the current scare won't come to anything, but rest assured that we have been planning for the worst case scenario. If it comes to it of course some of our usual services may suffer, but we hope to be able to manage a flu outbreak tolerably well.
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