Guernsey sees increase in flu cases

Saturday 20 January 2018

Guernsey has not yet been affected by the deadly strain of the flu virus, which has already been responsible for more than 90 deaths in the UK this winter, but this last week has seen more people falling ill with influenza.

More than 100 patients have been to see their GP with flu-like symptoms over the last week, which the Committee for Health & Social Care says reflects the increased number of cases seen in the UK.

The Committee for Health & Social Care says it has managed demand for its services "with only a small number of cancellations of non-urgent elective cases". In a statement it says just one case was deferred last week, due to capacity issues, compared to three the previous week. Another non-urgent case was also cancelled due to an emergency situation elsewhere.

HSC says bed occupancy rates remain below capacity with 78 out of 108 total beds being used at 08:00 Thursday 18 January. That figure was as high as 101 out of 108 a week ago.

A dedicated winter pressures working group is meeting weekly to "ensure activity, backlog, capacity and demand both within the acute hospital and community settings is monitored closely during the winter months". HSC also says its Community Services team is continuing to work with individuals in their own homes to try and avoid hospital admissions.

HSC says flu can be particularly unpleasant for certain people, such as those over-65, pregnant women and those with other serious health conditions. Health officials say the vaccine is still available for high risk groups and we can also protect ourselves by following simple hygiene rules such as washing your hands regularly, using tissues to cover your mouth when you sneeze and putting used tissues in the bin.

While flu can be very serious most people can manage their own symptoms at home. HSC says there are some exclusions to that though, if: 

• you're worried about your baby's or child's symptoms
• you're 65 or over
• you're pregnant
• you have a long-term medical condition – for example, diabetes or a heart, lung, kidney or neurological disease
• you have a weakened immune system – for example, because of chemotherapy or HIV
• your symptoms don't improve after 7 days