A message from Dr Ian Cameron, Director of Public Health...

"You will undoubtedly have seen on the news that there have been a number of cases of swine ‘flu in Mexico and other parts of the world over the last week or so. We don’t yet know if this variant of ‘flu will become a pandemic and so our advice is to be vigilant but not to be unduly concerned at the moment. It is always beneficial, however, to maintain good respiratory and hand hygiene.

What measures can I take to protect against infection? General infection control practices and good respiratory hand hygiene can help to reduce transmission of all viruses, including the human swine influenza. This includes:

• Covering your nose and mouth when coughing or sneezing, using a tissue when possible
• Disposing of dirty tissues promptly and carefully
• Maintaining good basic hygiene, for example washing hands frequently with soap and water to reduce the spread of the virus from your hands to face or to other people
• Cleaning hard surfaces (e.g. door handles) frequently using a normal cleaning product
• Making sure your children follow this advice"

It's what I have always said that the most important thing we can do is to wash our hands regularly!

Chris