Volunteers needed for swine flu research

PA 279/09 As cases of Swine Flu continue to increase researchers at The University of Nottingham say patients who live in the Nottingham area could help vital research into how the virus is spread. Researchers want to know how long someone with Swine flu is contagious for and establish advice on a 'safe distance' from a patient. As part of the study they are recruiting adults and children from Nottingham who have had symptoms of Swine flu (fever, cough, sore throat, tiredness, runny nose) for less than 48 hours. The study is being led by Professor Jonathan Nguyen Van Tam, in the School of Community Health Sciences, and the Health Protection Agency East Midlands. Their work is part of a programme of urgent research which has been commissioned by the National Institute for Health Research on behalf of the Department of Health. The volunteers will be visited at home every day for about 10 days by doctors and nurses who are part of the research team. Each visit lasts about half an hour, during which time the patients will have a nose swab taken and swabs will also be taken from some of the surfaces around their home.