7:30am Monday 1st February 2010
By Ash Bolton
SOUTHAMPTON'S swine flu control room is to close on Friday.
It was set up last May after the first wave of the pandemic and was used as a base for staff to help protect city residents.
A vaccination programme run from the control room will now continue through GP practices across Southampton.
The closure also means the end of a network of "flu friends" who collected and delivered anti-virals to vulnerable individuals who had no relatives or neighbours.
Doctors are still urging vulnerable groups who have previously been offered a swine flu jab to get in contact with their GPs to help protect themselves.
Swine flu is a respiratory disease caused by a new strain of the flu virus.
For most people swine flu is mild. It comes on quickly and generally lasts for around a week. Victims typically have a fever or a temperature over 100.4F (39C) and two or more of the following symptoms: tiredness, headache, runny nose, sore throat, shortness of breath or cough, loss of appetite, aching muscles, diarrhoea and vomiting.
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