NI Dept of Health dithers over bird flu

weatherwax_2

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/story/22158


"ULSTER'S health authorities have yet to draw up firm arrangements to deal with a possible outbreak of bird flu - leaving us lagging behind the rest of the UK.


The Government confirmed yesterday that every GP practice in England, Scotland and Wales is to receive information packs next month as part of preparations to deal with a UK-wide outbreak.

However, the Department of Health in Northern Ireland would only say last night that after "consideration", it is probable that similar arrangements will be put in place here in the autumn.


A DHSSPS spokesman said: "The department has been liasing closely with all the health departments in the UK in planning for an outbreak of pandemic flu. We will consider this announcement and it is probable after consideration that we will take similar steps in Northern Ireland."

What the hell are the DH playing at? Are they waiting for 'oops, we see some people have already caught it so we suppose we'd better errr ummm consider doing something about it. Nincompoops. :mad:

zodiac

weatherwax wrote:

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/story/22158
Nincompoops. :mad:

I love that word :rolleyes: And I would say they are as well.

I have family in Ireland and NI so I can say that I am worried, it does seem a bit silly that they are lacking behind, after all its better to have something rather than nothing.

D.A.

Am I imagining things, or are all civil servants in those country a bunch of lazy sods who haven't a clue?

jnd

Get real people. According to the Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/birdflu/story/0,14207,1532940,00.html

Quote: "The government is already buying enough doses of antiviral drugs to treat 14.6 million people, at a cost of £200m. This would treat those with chronic disease, the over-65s and the very young."

There are over 60 million people living in the UK so obviously not everyone is going to get vaccined anyway.

http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/phealth/pandemic/documents/pandemic_influenza_interimplan_march2005.pdf
Page 27 states

5.29 The Department of Health (England) will lead on purchasing and supplying a pandemic vaccine on behalf of the whole UK, liaising with the devolved administration Health Departments. Vaccine will be centrally purchased by DHSSPS and distributed according to estimated local needs for the predetermined priority
groups.