Swine Flu Diagnosis Doubts Prompt Tests Rethink

Seashore · 06-18-2009, 10:23 AM

This article from the guardian.co.uk website shows that we need to be aware that announcements about swine flu cases may not be based on laboratory results.

Here is the article:

Scottish suspected swine flu cases to be checked by labs before being announced after apparent misdiagnoses by doctors

Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 17 June 2009 19.29 BST

Scores of swine flu cases in Scotland may have been wrongly diagnosed by family doctors, it emerged today, forcing health officials to abandon a new testing regime.

Scottish ministers announced last week that GPs were to be allowed to diagnose the virus at their surgeries, rather than rely on lab tests.

The number of cases soared to 498 by the weekend, followed on Sunday by the first death of someone with swine flu outside the Americas. The victim, Jacqui Fleming, 38, from Carnwadric, Glasgow, also had underlying health problems.

After doctors reported 351 cases in Glasgow and Paisley yesterday – a dramatic increase on previous daily results – doubts emerged about the accuracy of their diagnoses.

This evening, the Scottish government confirmed that further analysis of these results suggested a large majority of these were wrong. As a result, every suspected case of H1N1 swine flu will now be checked by laboratories before being announced.

The reverse in policy will be studied carefully by health officials in Birmingham. They said today that efforts to control swine flu in the city – the worst affected in England – were failing. Giving GPs the authority to diagnose the virus at their surgeries was one option being considered.

Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish health secretary, said: "It is important that we have accurate figures to give us a true picture of how the virus is spreading. That is why we have resumed laboratory testing for all cases in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

"Clinical diagnosis has not proven to be as effective as originally thought. Further assessment is being carried out to assess the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis process."

The official number of swine flu cases in Scotland increased by 22 to 530 today, and there were 110 new cases in England, taking the UK total to 1,604.

06-18-2009, 10:23 AM	#1
Seashore Avalon Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Posts: 3,564	Swine Flu Diagnosis Doubts Prompt Tests Rethink This article from the guardian.co.uk website shows that we need to be aware that announcements about swine flu cases may not be based on laboratory results. Here is the article: Scottish suspected swine flu cases to be checked by labs before being announced after apparent misdiagnoses by doctors Severin Carrell, Scotland correspondent guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 17 June 2009 19.29 BST Scores of swine flu cases in Scotland may have been wrongly diagnosed by family doctors, it emerged today, forcing health officials to abandon a new testing regime. Scottish ministers announced last week that GPs were to be allowed to diagnose the virus at their surgeries, rather than rely on lab tests. The number of cases soared to 498 by the weekend, followed on Sunday by the first death of someone with swine flu outside the Americas. The victim, Jacqui Fleming, 38, from Carnwadric, Glasgow, also had underlying health problems. After doctors reported 351 cases in Glasgow and Paisley yesterday – a dramatic increase on previous daily results – doubts emerged about the accuracy of their diagnoses. This evening, the Scottish government confirmed that further analysis of these results suggested a large majority of these were wrong. As a result, every suspected case of H1N1 swine flu will now be checked by laboratories before being announced. The reverse in policy will be studied carefully by health officials in Birmingham. They said today that efforts to control swine flu in the city – the worst affected in England – were failing. Giving GPs the authority to diagnose the virus at their surgeries was one option being considered. Nicola Sturgeon, the Scottish health secretary, said: "It is important that we have accurate figures to give us a true picture of how the virus is spreading. That is why we have resumed laboratory testing for all cases in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. "Clinical diagnosis has not proven to be as effective as originally thought. Further assessment is being carried out to assess the accuracy of the clinical diagnosis process." The official number of swine flu cases in Scotland increased by 22 to 530 today, and there were 110 new cases in England, taking the UK total to 1,604.