Dec 4, 2009
Swine Flu Watch
Somehow got my family enlisted on the UK’s FluWatch program. The scheme, which has members of the public monitoring their colds, sore throats, and flu symptoms is being run by University College London with various eminent medical organisations as partners.
Having been invited to join by our family doctor, I registered online and within a few days a package of information, nasal swabs, viral media, mini thermometers, and consent forms with a nice pen all arrived safely in the post today.
They’ll send us an email each Sunday to report on the previous week’s symptoms and to let them know if any of us have had a flu vaccination that week. So, the first week I had nothing to report, but today I received the H1N1 vaccination (asthma-related approval) of Pandemrix (left me with a bit of a sore arm, nothing more) and so that will have to be reported next Sunday.
In the meantime, they are still looking for volunteers to self-monitor, so do take a look at the www.FluWatch.co.uk site and if you feel so inclined sign up. I’ll be keeping you informed of happenings over the coming weeks, unless any of us get so ill that I’m unable to blog…but I don’t think I’ve missed a week through illness since I started on the web back in 1996, so fingers crossed…
Well, results from our first family swabs were back today, turns out that one of us had a dose of Human respiratory syncytial virus before Xmas. Funnily enough, and without wishing to tempt fate, that’s the only respiratory infection any of us have had since October when I had a nasty cold and a sore throat.
Incidentally, for those of you wondering why I somehow managed to qualify for the H1N1 jab, according to a medic friend, I am a “Young and Lung”. I have to agree on the lung, but not so sure, 43y counts as young. Don’t you just love medical pigeonholes?
Well, it’s the Tuesday after Thursday’s jab and my arm is still ever so slightly tender to the touch. But, other than that no other acute symptoms from having been given the Glaxo pandemic vaccine. It did mean I had something extra to add to the weekly Flu Watch survey given that none of the family have yet succumbed to any winter colds or flu…yet…