Swine flu

"We hope the virus fizzles out, because if it doesn't we are heading for a big outbreak...I'm not predicting the pandemic will blow up, but if I miss it and we don't prepare, I fail. I'd rather over-prepare than not prepare". WHO Director-General, Dr Margaret Chan

Since our last circular regarding Influenza A (H1N1) or Swine Flu we have met up with Directors of Safety from LUL (and Metronet) and Tubelines to discuss the matter (06/05/09).

Click '1 attachment' / file name to download a leaflet from your RMT health & safety reps about swine flu.

RMT Stations Health & Safety reps have sent the following letter to Mike Strzelecki, London Underground's Director of Safety ...

The World Health Organisation, backed by Western leaders, argues that pandemics can be contained by the rapid responses of medical bureaucracies. The idea is that the strain is identified and then dealt with by local populations getting enough anti-viral drugs.

Rather than working together to produce a vaccination for each new flu strain, which is unprofitable for the pharmaceutical companies because many new flu strains don’t reach pandemic level, governments tend to rely on generic anti-virals such as Tamiflu.

Swine Flu is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease.

Influenzas are classified into three major genera: A, B and C. Over thousands of years Influenzas B and C have been domesticated by long circulation in human populations. The Influenza C is a cause of the common cold for instance and B produces a classic winter flu.