SWINE flu has claimed 44 lives in the north west and put another 2,720 people in hospital.
Since the outbreak began last July, 250 people have also needed intensive care been after becoming critically ill with complications caused by the disease, new figures show.
Just under half the people who have needed hospital treatment also had a serious underlying illness.
Health bosses are urging people to continue to be vaccinated against the condition, even though reports of new cases are now falling. A programme of injections for children under five is currently underway across Greater Manchester.
Dr Ruth Hussey, director for public health in the north west, said: "It looks like cases of swine flu are now on the decline, which is fantastic news. But I’m concerned that this might put off some people who should get the vaccine.
"The virus is still circulating, and if people with conditions such as asthma, heart and lung disease, with weakened immune systems or who are pregnant catch the virus, they can become seriously ill."
Around one in five people with underlying health conditions and pregnant women have had the swine flu vaccination from their GP.
The initial symptoms can be similar to other illnesses, so Dr Hussey says people should be vigilant about their symptoms should they fall ill.
She said: "The swine flu vaccine really is the best protection if you have an underlying health condition.
"The take-up rate for the vaccine has been good, but we want to ensure that as many people as possible who are eligible are vaccinated.
"I think there is evidence that the vaccination programme has had a positive impact on the swine flu virus. Thousands of vulnerable people who were susceptible to the virus are now protected, which has helped to reduce the numbers becoming seriously ill and needing hospital treatment."
Swine flu is caused by a strain of the same influenza bug which causes seasonal outbreaks of human flu on a regular basis.
Symptoms appear to be similar to those of standard, seasonal flu – fever, cough, sore throat, body aches and chills. Some people with the virus have also reported nausea and diarrhoea. However, many people who get the flu show no symptoms at all.
Tweet
Showing comments 1 to 4 and replies | View All
june babe, manchester (27/01/2010 at 12:07)
St_JJ, Widnes (27/01/2010 at 13:51)
The fact that drugs companies are making money off this concerns me as little as it does when I need antibiotics or pain killers, they make money off these too.
Billy Wizz, Wizzville (27/01/2010 at 15:14)
Although the deaths are sad 44 is really nothing, does it justify the money spent on these new drugs?
Steve an alternative view (28/01/2010 at 07:49)
Both my wife and I are just recovering from a really bad dose of flu but what’s really interesting is that according to the medic I had swine flu. My wife, same symptoms to the letter, yet she had had the swine flu and normal flu vaccines so what did she have?
According to the medic she also had swine flu until she told him she’d had the vaccine at which point she got told how similar the symptoms are and therefore she must have another flu strain which she could have been vaccinated against. We didn’t want to burst his bubble by telling him she had been.
For me the medics and the government haven’t a clue, lots of money has been given to drug companies and doctors and yet little was done except keeping some of the population just below panic mode.