160 swine flu Britons in quarantine

12 April 2012

At least 160 Britons are in quarantine worldwide because of swine flu, the Foreign Office has said.

A spokeswoman said assistance was being given to people in China, Singapore, India and Egypt.

Not all will be suffering from the virus as some will have been quarantined after being in contact with people who are.

The spokeswoman added there were likely to be other people abroad being kept in quarantine who had not sought help from the Foreign Office.

The news came after leading doctors warned the pandemic could overwhelm intensive care beds in England, especially in children's units.

Demand for intensive care beds could outstrip supply by 130% in some regions, while the need for ventilators to help people breathe could exceed supply by 20%. Paediatric facilities are likely to become "quickly exhausted", while hospitals could face "massive excess demand", according to the researchers.

Hospitals on the South East coast, in the South West, East of England and East Midlands are likely to be worst hit, they said.

Experts in intensive care and anaesthesia from the University of Cambridge, the Intensive Care Society and St George's Healthcare NHS Trust in London warned that English hospitals might be unable to cope with the amount of people affected by the pandemic.

London would fare the best and should have enough intensive care beds and ventilators. But demand for beds could be 130% above supply in the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area, and 120% above supply in the South West. In the East Midlands and East of England, demand could also be 120% above supply.

Across the whole of England, demand for beds could be 60% above the number available, all based on a hospital admission rate of 0.25%.

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