LONDON // Britain's chief medical officer has warned that swine flu represents the "biggest challenge in a generation" to the country's medical services.
By autumn, when a surge in cases of the H1N1 strain is expected in the northern hemisphere, Sir Liam Donaldson expects hospitals to cancel non-emergency operations as medical staff struggle to cope. With the World Health Organisation now accepting that countries might want to consider delaying the reopening of schools after the summer break to delay the spread of the pandemic, Britain will today get its first National Flu Service.
The new service in Britain, the worst affected country in Europe with more than 50,000 swine flu cases being reported a week, will enable patients to get anti-flu medication by phone or via the internet without the need to visit a doctor.
Thirty people in the UK have died as a result of H1N1 in the past month, though most had underlying health problems. The vast majority of sufferers have had only mild symptoms and fully recover within three to five days. And although the death toll is expected to rise in the autumn and winter months, government statistics show that, in an average non-pandemic year, between 4,000 and 12,000 Britons die directly or indirectly because of normal flu outbreaks.
The government has warned that the number of deaths from the virus this winter in the UK could reach between 19,000 and 65,000, though the latter figure is regarded as very much a "worst-case scenario" and would be dependent on the flu mutating to a more virulent form.
With the WHO calculating that swine flu has "spread internationally with unprecedented speed", Britain is preparing to advise vulnerable groups to stay away from crowds when the epidemic peaks, probably in the autumn.
Academics have suggested that school closings could help counter the spread of the virus, but Mr Donaldson said delaying the start of the new school year in September was unlikely.
"Dealing with this is a marathon, not a sprint," he told the BBC. "I think it would take a lot for us to move in that direction."
He added, though, that the strain of coping with a severe outbreak could put unbearable strains on the National Health Service.
"That might involve cancelling some routine procedures, but if that is necessary to treat people who are seriously ill with flu, that is what will have to be done."
The greatest number of deaths has occurred in the United States where, up to yesterday, 263 people are believed to have died of the virus.
Aphaluck Bhatiasevi, a spokesman for the WHO in Geneva, said that the virus had killed 700 people across the world in six weeks where, normally, it would have been expected to take six months. "We expect to see more cases and deaths in the future," she added.
In Britain, one childbirth charity advised last weekend that couples should even avoid conceiving children until the pandemic has passed - a suggestion that the government found so alarmist that it forced the charity to withdraw the advice.
Mr Donaldson said yesterday pregnant women might wish "on a highly precautionary basis, to avoid large, densely populated gatherings where they have little control over personal contact".
The flu outbreak even upset the royal family's schedule yesterday. The Duke of York postponed a visit to a factory after staff at the plant were struck down with suspected swine flu. Prince Andrew was due to officially open a construction eqiuipment factory worth £40 million (Dh242m) in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, yesterday afternoon.
dsapsted@thenational.ae
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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In Full Flight: A Story of Africa and Atonement
John Heminway, Knopff
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
What to watch out for:
Algae, waste coffee grounds and orange peels will be used in the pavilion's walls and gangways
The hulls of three ships will be used for the roof
The hulls will painted to make the largest Italian tricolour in the country’s history
Several pillars more than 20 metres high will support the structure
Roughly 15 tonnes of steel will be used
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
THE SPECS
Engine: 6.0-litre, twin-turbocharged W12
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 626bhp
Torque: 900Nm
Price: Dh1,050,000
On sale: now
Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh960,000
Engine 3.9L twin-turbo V8
Transmission Seven-speed dual-clutch automatic
Power 661hp @8,000rpm
Torque 760Nm @ 3,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.4L / 100k
'My Son'
Director: Christian Carion
Starring: James McAvoy, Claire Foy, Tom Cullen, Gary Lewis
Rating: 2/5
BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final, first leg:
Liverpool 5
Salah (35', 45 1'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 68')
Roma 2
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen)
Second leg: May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale