It has been confirmed that there are 5 cases of Tamiflu resistant Swine Flu in the UK.

This genetic mutation of the original H1N1 Swine Flu strain presents some problems as far as treatment is concerned.

The strain seems to have originated from a hospital in Wales.  The resistant strain has passed from person to person, and these five cases are the first recorded worldwide.  It is the passing from person to person that makes this original.  Tamiflu resistance was first seen in Denmark.

The WHO are worried by this development, since it had previously been thought that Tamiflu was the best treatment for swine flu worldwide.  If the resistant strain spreads it changes everything.

Get yourself vaccinated as soon as you can!

It could be my imagination, but it seems to me that nurses are in higher demand than they have been over the last year.

The UK is screaming out for Irish Nurses in particular.  Unfortunately the weakening of sterling has made it less attractive for Irish nurses from a financial aspect.  There does remain though, the fact that the NHS is generally a much nicer system to work under than the HSE.  It’s not all bad here though.  And we are seeing nursing jobs begin to spring up despite the continued ban on recruitment.  Most of these jobs are private sector.

Nursing as a profession can be deeply rewarding, but threat of pay cuts and harder working conditions make it ever less attractive to school leavers, or even those who have been working as nurses for years.

It is hard work and it is sometimes dangerous work.  The plain truth of it is that nurses will always be in demand.  There will never be a time when this country is without nurses.  Just a few short years ago we were importing nurses because we could not find enough nurses to cope.  As our population ages we are going to need greater numbers of nurses again.  The cosmopolitan environment that exists in our hospitals, hospices, homes and clinics has doubtless been instrumental in aiding with cultural integration in this previously secular country.

Nurses have a lot to be proud of.  The contribution made by nurses to society is one that the nation should be eternally grateful for.  I know that nurses feel persecuted by the government, by cutbacks and by heavier workloads.  I think we may be reaching the bottom of the recessionary curve now though.  Things are looking up.

Have a look at some of the nursing jobs on offer!

We could be waiting another 8 months for the population to be immunised against the swine flu (H1N1) virus.

That is according to Mary Harney.  Why is this?  It will depend on uptake and supply.  I could have sworn that we were told that the supply part was sorted out.  I must have misheard it.

The IMC have assured doctors who are not participating in the immunisation program that they cannot be sued for not taking part in administering the Flu Vaccines.

Meanwhile the idea has been mooted that pharmacists may get involved in administering the swine flu vaccine too.

Some people in the at risk groups have reported that they have to travel large distances to get the jab.  It is also still uncertain whether a second jab may be necessary.  What will determine that?  How many people one jab does not work for.  Makes you feel safe in the capable hands of our health service executive doesn’t it!

Ever since Thalidomide people have been scared of putting anything they may not have to into their bodies (other than drugs and alcohol apparently).  I know that I for one will have no hesitation in getting myself immunised.  Why would I not?  I don’t want swine flu and having had the usual yearly flu vaccination for years I do not fear a slightly different version of it.  What I do fear is that by the time I get a chance to get the injection I will have already caught swine flu.

It is spreading at an alarming rate.  We have had relatively few deaths from it but by all accounts it is rather an unpleasant experience.  I dare say that for those who didn’t make it through and their relatives it was a sight more than alarming and unpleasant.