FLU PANDEMICClick here for the Flu Pandemic Plan prepared for St Nicolas and authorised by the PCC on 21 October 2009. The UK Department of Health has announced that the management of the H1N1 Pandemic has changed from the 'containment' to 'treatment' phase. The Diocese is in regular contact with the local health authority and the following is adapted from the advice currently being made available by the Diocese of Oxford Planning Group chaired by the Bishop of Dorchester. PERSONAL HYGIENEThe best way to stop the spread of infection is through good personal hygiene. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and hot water regularly, or when available use antibacterial alcohol gel. Wash regularly, especially when entering or leaving a building, and at regular intervals, around every 90 minutes. Coughs and sneezes spread infection rapidly. It is essential that you cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze. Make sure that tissues are available, as well as bins for the safe disposal of used tissues. If you have flu symptoms, stay at home. Make sure someone knows where you are. You can find out more here: www.direct.gov.uk/en/Swineflu/DG_177831 and www.nhs.uk/AlertsEmergencies/Pages/Pandemicflualert.aspx If you are not showing symptoms but someone in your household is, you do not need to stay at home. You are not infectious if you are not showing symptoms. However, if you are a priest or other church worker, you may need to consider arrangements for covering your duties if you catch the virus from your family. PLANNINGIt is important that churches work on their flu pandemic plans as soon as possible, in case the situation worsens. The PCC has established a group to undertake this work as a matter of urgency. THE CHURCH'S ROLEThe Church is well placed to help the community during this pandemic. The Government is recommending that people identify 'flu friends' to help in the event of the pandemic worsening. Flu friends are people who will collect medicines, food and other supplies for you if you get swine flu, so that you don't have to leave home. Very often it will be a good idea not to choose people you have a lot of close contact with (e.g. other members of a Home Group) as you may all succumb at the same time. You can find out more about flu friends in the NHS documents: Information about 'flu friends' and Prepare your home for a flu pandemic. These are also available from the church office. There will be some vulnerable people in our communities who do not have people they can call on to help in this way. This is where the church can help by setting up a flu friend scheme, something which we are currently looking into. It does not need to be complicated - and may simply involve building on the networks we already have in place. BUSINESS AS USUALAs in any crisis, the Church should remain open for business as usual. There are prayers here (also available from the church office) for people who are ill or anxious about this flu. On July 23rd the Archbishops of Canterbury and York wrote: "It now seems right to offer guidance at a national level about how the Church of England's worship might best take into account the interests of public health during the current phase of the swine flu pandemic. "The Department of Health have recently advised us that ?in a pandemic it makes good sense to take precautions to limit the spread of disease by not sharing common vessels for food and drink". In the light of this advice, we recommend those presiding at Holy Communion suspend the administration of the chalice during this wave of pandemic flu... "We shall keep this advice under review and will ensure that the detailed guidance provided on the Church of England website is kept up-to-date. In the meantime, wish to express our gratitude to you and those who share your ministry for the pastoral care and service offered at this time of national concern." Scientific advice indicates that neither the alcoholic content of wine nor the antiseptic qualities of noble metals will provide any protection against a pandemic flu virus. Government advice is that in the event of pandemic flu affecting centres of population, administration of the common cup ought to be suspended. Studies have suggested that in the context of pandemic flu the practice of intinction (where the communicant receives the bread and dips it into the wine) or the practice of receiving Communion directly on to the tongue may involve an even greater risk than the common cup. The administration of Holy Communion in the Church of England is principally governed by section 8 of the Sacrament Act 1547, which provides that '... the... most blessed Sacrament be hereafter commonly delivered and ministered unto the people... under both the kinds, that is to say of bread and wine, except necessity otherwise require...' In accordance with this provision of the Sacrament Act 1547, Note 6 to the Distribution of Holy Communion at Home or in Hospital provides that 'Communion should normally be received in both kinds separately, but where necessary may be received in one kind, whether of bread or, where the communicant cannot receive solid food, wine' (Common Worship: Pastoral Services, p.79). Clergy are asked to give clear advice to members of their congregation who may be showing flu-like symptoms not to attend church services or other meetings while their symptoms persist. Pastoral visits and Home Communion for people with the virus is discouraged. Please consider telephone or other means of contact. The risk of infection is very high, and a priest making a series of pastoral visits could spread infection, as well as being susceptible to becoming infected. We don't want to cause panic, or to exaggerate the seriousness of the situation. At the moment H1N1 is proving less fatal than seasonal winter flu. We hope the measures above will help churches to provide appropriate support in our congregations and parishes, whilst doing what we can to combat the spread of the infection. The Archbishops issued a further statement on October 30th: "Following our statement in September this year, we have reviewed the situation in light of the latest advice from the Department of Health. "Their latest update, issued last night, shows that the number of new cases has risen. There were 78,000 new cases in England this week with 751 people currently hospitalised. The additional information now available confirms earlier guidance that children under 16 are significantly more susceptible to the virus, and up to 30% may fall ill during this second wave. Deaths worldwide have increased by 12% this week. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) believes that about 520,000 people have been infected by swine flu in England since the outbreak of the pandemic. "The vaccination programme in this country has started this week. The plan is to offer it to all at risk groups by the end of November. "In the light of this, our recommendation, made on 22nd July 2009 to those presiding at Holy Communion in parishes and dioceses, remains unchanged. "It remains important a) to encourage everyone to recognise that the Church has a responsibility to take public health considerations seriously and b) to ensure communication around the Church is good so that we don't appear at sixes and sevens, and c) to remember that responsible practice in these areas is not primarily about protecting ourselves but about avoiding transmitting infection unwittingly to others. "In the light of this rapidly changing situation, we do not believe this is the time to issue fresh advice. We are keeping in regular contact with the Department of Health and will continue to consider all relevant information. "We will review our own advice in a month's time. Until then, we would encourage you to continue to show patience and to pray for all those affected."
ONLINE ADVICEHere are the links to some documents made available by the Oxford Diocesan Office: Advice (22 July 2009) now amended in the light of this letter from the Archbishops of Canterbury and York (23 July 2009) Information about 'flu friends' Prepare your home for a flu pandemic A booklet prepared by the Diocesan Emergency Planning Group Government guidance for faith communities Joint Statement from the Thames Valley Local Resilience Forum
PRAYERSClick here for some prayers. Click here for a printable version. | 