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Issue 746
31 JAN-06 FEB 2014
Swine ‘flu protection by Jack Troughton
Sunrise at Calpe Bay by Heather SewellBullock
Photo picked for calendar
AN EARLY morning shot of a sunrise at Calpe Bay has been chosen as the photograph for January in the 2015 calendar being published by charity Friends of the Children of EMAUS. The charity is asking photographers to submit pictures portraying life on the Costa Blanca each month and the winning entry will be featured in the calendar – and in the pages of RTN. Heather Sewell-Bullock’s atmospheric picture and its wonderful colours were chosen by the judges. Heather lives in Calpe. Pictures should be sent to info@fcemaus.com and February entrants should be received by Friday 21st February. People can enter up to five pictures for each month and they should be submitted as ‘jpeg’ attachments.
See page 62
PEOPLE CAN protect themselves against ‘swine flu’ as the outbreak in Spain reaches epidemic proportions with 60 deaths across the country. This year’s outbreak of ‘Influenza A’ or H1N1 had reached “borderline” figures – 200 new cases for each 100,000 people – by Monday, at the start of the ‘flu season’. Dr Vicente Mera, a consultant clinician and specialist in internal medicine at Hospital Clinica Benidorm, said the virus was a mutation of bird flu and had last caused an epidemic in Spain in 2009. He said the best protection was vaccination and the jab was changed every year because of the virus’ capability to mutate and change. “It is important to know that flu can kill you,” he told RTN. “It is completely different to a cold or catarrh – the only thing that are shared are the respiratory symptoms such as a runny nose and a headache. “But flu is much more serious and produces high temperatures, aching of the body, tiredness and weakness, and severe fatigue. It can also cause diarrhoea and nausea – feeling sick. “And it is essential to tell the difference.
If you have a cold the solution is very simple and it is not necessary to see a doctor but if you have the flu, it is better to see a doctor because it can kill.” RISK People at high risk were pensioners because the immune system is low at that age, people with chronic obstructive respiratory diseases such as asthma, smokers, and people suffering other chronic diseases such as heart or kidney disorders and cancer patients. Dr Mera said Influenza A was “easy to prevent” and there was no doubt this was through vaccination – a free jab to high risk groups. He warned that after the 2009 outbreak was not “fortunately” as bad as predicted by the medical world, people had become lethargic about the risks and the vaccination rate had tumbled. “To get protection for the community – rather than the individual – we need vaccination of around 75% of the population – if you do not get this you put the whole community at high risk. Unfortunately we have not got 75%; we have perhaps 50% or 60%. “Why? Because people became sceptical after the 2009 outbreak was not as bad as doctors predicted.” Continued on page 8