- Sydney residents urged to wear face masks in bid to stop
potentially-deadly virus.
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- The advice from the Australian Medical Association comes
as figures show the flu had hit the state earlier and harder than expected.
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- The NSW Department of Health figures showed 6.6 people
per 1000 of the population were presenting at emergency departments across
the state with symptoms. The statistic is almost double the 3.4 per
1000 recorded in 2006 - but still below the 8.2 recorded in 2003.
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- AMA NSW vice president Brian Morton said with the flu
season not yet over, 2007 had the potential to be one of the worst on record. "It
is looming as one of our worst seasons, certainly the notification for
influenza-type illness has increased and is earlier than normal,"
he said. "We tend to see influenza illnesses from now but we've
seen reports from June."
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- A severe outbreak has struck Sydney, spreading through
trains, buses, ferries and office blocks.
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- Central Coast mother of two Penny Edwards knows just
how aggressive and dangerous the 2007 strain of flu can be. Ms Edwards
was admitted to hospital three weeks ago with pneumonia which had developed
from a bout of influenza. "I got it about three weeks ago - both
the kids had been sick with it, I'm sure I got it from them, and I ended
up in hospital," she said. "It started as the flu - you
start to get all the symptoms - headaches, cough, fever."
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- Ms Edwards said weeks later, and despite hospital treatment,
she still had many of the flu-like symptoms. "It just takes so long
to recover - even though I was in hospital for one day I probably didn't
feel good until later that week and even now I've still got the cough,"
she said. "It's definitely the worst I've had."
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- Dr Morton said wearing a face mask would help stop the
spread of the potentially-deadly virus.
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- http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22194335-5001021,00.html
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- Australia Flu Sufferers Urged To Stay Home
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- People suffering symptoms of the flu are being advised
to consider wearing a face-mask if they have to go out in public.
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- The New South Wales Health Department says this year
is a moderately severe flu season.
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- Dr Jeremy McAnulty, from the Department's Communicable
Disease branch, says flu sufferers should stay home, to look after themselves
and to avoid spreading the infection. "You shouldn't go to work,
but if you have to go out because you have to see the doctor for example,
then it's a good idea while you're waiting in the doctors surgery you ask
for a mask and put it on then," he said. "The best
thing you can do is stay away from other people. Keep a distance of at
least one metre between yourself and other people."
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- http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/06/1997234.htm?site=idx-nsw
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