There was a lot of media hype about the swine flu last year and the need for flu vaccines. I decided to have the whole family immunised last year as a precautionary measure. Is there going to be a new strain we have to be concerned about for 2010? or is last years vaccine going to adequately protect us?? What are the actual statistics regarding swing flu last year - was there actually any real quantitative benefit from having the flu shot last year??

It seems not. Although there were 800+ deaths from the virus, I don\'t think that this was considered any more than would be expected from any other flu outbreak.

Swine influenza was first proposed to be a disease related to human influenza during the 1918 flu pandemic, when pigs became sick at the same time as humans. The first identification of an influenza virus as a cause of disease in pigs occurred about ten years later, in 1930. However, between 1997 and 2002, new strains of three different subtypes and five different genotypes emerged as causes of influenza among pigs in North America. Despite its name, direct transmission from pigs to humans is rare, with only 12 cases in the U.S. since 2005. Nevertheless, the retention of influenza strains in pigs after these strains have disappeared from the human population might make pigs a reservoir where influenza viruses could persist, later emerging to reinfect humans once human immunity to these strains has waned
Outbreaks of the virus in swine are common and cause significant economic losses in industry, for example, this disease costs the British meat industry about £65 million every year.

The outbreak in 2009 was classed as a global outbreak of a new strain of influenza, officially name the ‘new HINI’ and was first identified in April 2009 and is now commonly known as ‘Swine flu’
This current outbreak began in Mexico and there was evidence that Mexico was already in the midst of an epidemic of swine flu months before the outbreak was recognised and the global community made aware.

The virus typically spreads from coughs and sneezes or by touching contaminated surfaces and then touching the nose or mouth. Symptoms, which can last up to a week, and are very similar to those of seasonal flu.
It is true that most cases worldwide have been usually mild, and although deaths have occurred they have mainly been amongst those with other existing health problems.

I did not have the swine flu jab last year and I am not sorry, but then I might have felt differently if I had got ill! I did hear that the UK government are severely out of pocket after ordering thousands if not millions more vaccine than it used, and apparently these things are not on a sale or return basis and appaerntly have massive \'minimum order\' numbers! Who knew?!