Language: English
Welcome to EPG Patient Direct
The healthcare portal for patients and the general public in Europe
- Conditions and illnesses
- Managing your health
- Lifestyle advice
- Treatment choices
Health News
- Mum-of-three joins cervical cancer battle
Published 01 February 2010 -
Published 01 February 2010 - Government targets cigarette packaging
Published 01 February 2010 - Well off use more drugs than the jobless
Published 01 February 2010
Please note that these news articles link to external websites.
Your Vote
There is currently no poll for this section.
Find Out More About
This service contains links to third party websites. EPG Patient Direct is not in a position to verify this information and cannot be held responsible for the accuracy of the content contained.
Health News ArchiveEPG Patient Direct Health News
Complications more likely in older swine flu patients
14 Jul 2009
Older people who catch swine flu are more likely to suffer from complications.
This is the warning from Dr Maureen Baker, honorary secretary at the Royal College of General Practitioners, UK, who was commenting after the death of a six-year-old girl and a GP from swine flu in Britain.
Dr Baker explained that there is a difference between those who are at high risk of swine flu and those, once they have contracted the illness, who are more likely to suffer further problems.
"You might have a low risk of contracting the illness but a higher risk if you then get ill. Elderly people for instance meet that category," she commented.
"At the moment relatively few people over the age of 60 have got swine flu but older people, if they do get it, are at higher risk of complications."
Dr Baker added that the majority of people who have caught swine flu are children and teenagers.
Last month, the World Health Organization raised its alert to level six, which recognises the fact that the H1N1 flu virus has spread to pandemic levels across the world.
Click here to visit the Flu Quick Guide
Delicious
Reddit
Facebook
StumbleUpon
Related Influenza News
- Fewer public health workers put off by flu outbreak 27 Jul 09
- Swine flu parties discouraged by medical expert 15 Jul 09
- Most people do not alter behaviour after swine flu outbreak 13 Jul 09
- Influenza virus in 1918 established viral dynasty era, scientists conclude 30 Jun 09
- Targeting children could prove most effective influenza vaccination strategy 18 Jun 09
- Swine flu 'set to become a global pandemic' 11 Jun 09
- More swine flu cases predicted for the autumn 04 Jun 09
- Molecular mechanism allows flu virus to bypass body's defences, researchers discover 03 Jun 09