Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland confirmed 2,423 new cases of swine flu in the week ending 21 November, the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) announced Friday 27 November, bringing the total to 6,691 since the outbreak began. The pandemic has already claimed four deaths in Switzerland, all from high risk patients. FOPH estimates that almost 27,000 people have consulted their doctors about the flu country-wide.
Taking a broken leg to the hospital could take longer in future
Zurich, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – One hundred of the 320 hospitals in Switzerland should be closed, says Thomas Zeltner, head of the Swiss Federal Office of Public Health. He made the remarks on the evening TSR Swiss television programme Infrarouge Tuesday 6 October. Switzerland’s hospital coverage is dense, but expensive, and he suggests that smaller hospitals and clinics be closed, and that the remaining ones specialize.
Where your health franc goes
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Switzerland’s obligatory health insurance premiums will go up in 2010 by an average of 8.7 percent, says Bern. The increases vary considerably by canton, ranging from 3.7 to 14.6 percent. The increase is slightly less than predicted by the federal government in May. The cantons of Geneva and Vaud have increases below the Swiss average, while most Swiss German cantons have increases above the national average.
Children’s premiums will go up 10 percent on average while young adults will pay 13.7 percent more on average in 2010.
© 2009 WHO
Geneva and Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The Swiss Federal Office of Public Health (OFSP) recommends that people who come down with symptoms of the flu avoid contact with others to stop the spread of the disease. A humourous new advertising campaign (link below) says it quite clearly. This means staying away from work until the symptoms have gone away, or to care for sick members of the family. In a front-page article 4 August, Le Temps (Fre) asks whether this means that employers will not insist on having a medical cerificate for any absence longer than three days, as stipulated by law: to leave one’s bed to go and see a doctor defeats the purpose of the quarantine.
Versoix, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Six cases of swine flu have been confirmed among children attending the College du Léman summer school at Versoix, near Geneva, reports Romandie news. They will spend the next seven days in isolation in a nearby villa. Four other cases are under investigation.
Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – After an emergency meeting early this afternoon the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that the the A/H1N1 (swine) flu pandemic had entered its highest phase 6, denoting “sustained community-level outbreaks in at least two WHO regions.” In its latest update 10 June, WHO reported almost 28,000 confirmed cases of swine flu in 74 countries worldwide, with 141 deaths. Sudden spikes in confirmed cases in the past few days have been reported from widely-separated countries like Australia and Chile, prompting WHO concern.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – A woman from canton Basel State was diagnosed at the Basel cantonal hospital with A/H1N1 swine flu in Switzerland, the third case in Switzerland. The national influenza centre in Geneva has not yet confirmed the diagnosis. She flew into Zurich from Washington DC, USA 22 May, announced the Federal Office of Public Health. Swiss health authorities obtained the list of passengers from the airline the woman was traveling on, and they will be informed by health authorities in their own countries.
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The smoking population in Switzerland declined from 33 to 27 percent from 2001 to 2008. New figures released by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) 18 May confirm a broad downward trend across all ages and the sexes. The drop in smokers among young people aged 14 to 19 years is even more stark: 33 percent smoked in 2001, but this had declined to 23 percent by 2008.
