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FIVE PEOPLE DIED in a deadly weekend for extreme sports in the French Alps that claimed the lives of two climbers, a paraglider, a hang glider and a wingsuit jumper.
On Sunday afternoon, rescuers found a paraglider’s body on rocks in the Haute-Savoie region on the Swiss border, security forces said.
The man had plunged to his death from the Buclon mountain, which is 2,072 metres high.
Earlier on Sunday, two French climbers — a 34-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman — died further south, after crashing 50 metres down La Meije mountain.
On Saturday, a 32-year-old man also died after diving off the Dent d’Arclusaz mountain in a wingsuit. Another wingsuit specialist had died in exactly the same spot three years earlier.
Earlier in the day, a hang gliding instructor, 49, died after plunging out of his two-seater near Lake Annecy, a popular haunt for lovers of the sport.
His shocked student, who was not harmed in the incident, managed to land and alert the emergency services.
Rescuers were unable to resuscitate the victim, however.
A week ago the HSE reported a new strain of H1N1 and to my limited knowledge, new strains can’t be vaccinated against until next time around. Harris now says the vaccination is effective against this current strain, which could mean there are two variants. I’ll take my chances.
@Denis McClean: or get the vacinne and cut your chances by 50% of contracting the flu?
@Denis McClean: It doesn’t matter just take the injection like a good sheep.
@Vocal Outrage: or take the chance of not occupying a public bed, and hence aid in clogging the trolley crisis, by taking measures to prevent contraction of the flu, by taking the vaccine where possible??
I’ve been trying to get the vaccine since last week. Every pharmacy I went to either required a prescription or had no-one qualified available to administer the vaccine. As so often in this country, people are glibly advised to seek help only to be forced to jump through hoops (not to mention the fact that €20 isn’t a negligible sum to a lot of people).
@Jayo Breathneach: 20 is also cheap compared to time off work sick
@Horseshoe Terry: Booked with Boots online on Friday evening and got my injection yesterday afternoon,with the ordeal your having getting the injection you probably don’t have a Boots with in a 100 mile radius of home.
@Horseshoe Terry: Tesco Chemist are offering and my friend only paid €10 I think.
@Jim Jiminy: Tesco Chemist also
Tesco Chemist are offering and my friend paid €10 I think but maybe more
@Horseshoe Terry: not promoting boots but I managed to schedule an appointment online in my local boots for the following week. I beleieve Lloyds and McCauley’s offer similar services.
Having received the flushot in October, did that shot cover me for swine flu or do I need a supplementary jab?
@Niall Sheridan: same question here I got my flu jab in oct
@Niall Sheridan: you’re covered with the one you got in October
@Sean Ryan: It depends on the strain of H1N1 that you received in your October vaccine and wether or not it matches the strain of H1N1 that is circulating at the moment. If it doesn’t match then it doesn’t work.
@Niall Sheridan: if the vaccination you got in Oct was the normal flu shot it’s won’t cover swine flu.
@Ger: these are the questions never suitably answered by HSE posts prompting vaccination. Hence causing speculation. It’s this kind of incompetence that allows the anti vax conspiracies to thrive. Treat us like adults, give us some data of potential match of current vaccination.
We should be covered. McCabe’s at least doesn’t let you out after the jab for 15 minutes, in case you get dizzy, I suppose. I had plenty of time to read their leaflet and they listed the strains that are covered. If you had the jab up to a fortnight ago, you’re covered against H1N1; and three more strains, but swine flu’ is the dominant one doing the rounds this season.
@Niall Sheridan: “During years when the flu vaccine is not well matched to circulating influenza viruses, it is possible that little or no benefit from flu vaccination may be observed.”
https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaccineeffect.htm
If the vaccine you got in October does not contain the strain that is circulating at them moment then you have little or no protection.
@Ger: the “normal” flu vaccination DOES cover against H1N1.
@Ger: not entirely correct- Dr Kevin Kelleher, the HSE’s Assistant National Director for Health Protection said on Radio 1 that “The A virus predominantly affects older people, while the B virus mainly affects younger people. The flu vaccine covers the A virus, but it doesn’t totally cover the B virus”
So it partially covers the current strain of swine flu on the loose.
https://www.thejournal.ie/flu-vaccine-ireland-2-3776885-Jan2018/
@Toon Army: I was hearing lots of different stuff from different people so I rang my GP and she informed me I should get the new vaccine (I already got one in October). Will be popping in on Thursday. I think some chemist’s are giving them too.
“Flu can be ‘very dangerous’, warns Swine minister” fixed the title for yous
@Cormac Ó Dubhghaill: grow up
I see there’s a special vaccine for anti-vaxers just one shot cures everything usually between 50cc and 100cc of Euthasol will be perfect.
@In my opinion: A bit harsh?
I really don’t know why people get so worked up.
If you got all your shots you should be perfectly fine.
I am confused – if Swine flu is so dangerous and all flu strains can cause death – why is Simon Harris advising people to stay away from hospitals if they have contracted it. I realise that going amongst people when you are sick with flu will enable it to spread, but how the heck can you get appropriate medical care for this potentially fatal virus – which you may have gotten despite vaccination as it is not 100% effective?
@Gill James: the best action to take is to RING your gp at the first signs of the flu symptoms. They will best advice you.
They may decide to issue you a GP referal to hospital, where you’d bypass the ER. This gets you seen to faster, while reducing other people in hospital being exposed to you.
@Gill James: I would say the reason he has asked people to stay away from hospitals is that there would be a concentration of immunocompromised and vulnerable people at the hospital at any given time. Hospitalisation due to influenza would only require a visit to the hospital in severe cases.
It’s better to stay home and call your GP than to put these people at risk of infection and to put any unnecessary strain on our hospital services.
stay miles away from that poison. attacks your immune system & leaves one more susceptible to illness
have your say