The Swine Flu And You

what is a virus?

VIRUS is a microorganism smaller than a bacteria, which cannot grow or reproduce apart from a living cell. A virus invades living cells and uses their chemical machinery to keep itself alive and to replicate itself.

It may reproduce with fidelity or with errors (mutations)-this ability to mutate is responsible for the ability of some viruses to change slightly in each infected person, making treatment more difficult.

What is a Flu(influenza) virus?

A flu virus is a specific kind of virus that attacks different species of animals. Viruses are extremely tiny, and they are noted for their ability to change rapidly. That makes them especially dangerous!

Very small ,even far smaller than a bacterium, an influenza virus can actually change its characteristics in each person or animal that it infects. Or, it can also keep the same characteristics from person to person. No one knows when this will occur, and this is what makes an influenza virus so unpredictable.

While it is true that scientists have learned lots of virus information , it is also true that we definitely don't know all the virus facts that will continue to evolve for years.

What is an influenza pandemic?

A pandemic is a global disease outbreak. An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza A virus emerges for which there is little or no immunity in the human population, begins to cause serious illness and then spreads easily person-to-person worldwide.

What is H1N1?

This is a sort of code given to different subtypes of influenza typeA Virus isolated from pigs.others are H1N2, H3N2, and H3N1 but However, most of the recently isolated influenza viruses from pigs have been H1N1 viruses,which are the swine viruses.

What is Swine Flu?

Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza virus that regularly causes outbreaks of influenza in pigs. Swine flu viruses cause high levels of illness and low death rates in pigs.

Swine influenza viruses may circulate among swine throughout the year, but most outbreaks occur during the late fall and winter months similar to outbreaks in humans. The classical swine flu virus (an influenza type A H1N1 virus) was first isolated from a pig in 1930.

Swine influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You can not get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork and pork products is safe. Cooking pork to an internal temperature of 160°F kills the swine flu virus as it does other bacteria and viruses

source:pandemicflu.gov

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Swine flu is caused by a virus. The most common subtype, or strain, is influenza type A H1N1, and this subtype has also caused infection in people. The letters H and N in the subtype name stand for proteins found on the surface of the virus, which are used to distinguish between different subtypes. Other virus subtypes found among pigs include H1N2, H3N1, and H3N2.

Influenza viruses are constantly changing their genes, a process called mutation. When a swine flu virus is found in humans, it is said to have "jumped the species barrier." This means that the virus has mutated in a way that allows it to cause the condition in humans. Because humans have no natural protection or immunity to the virus, they are likely to become ill.

source:bodyandhealth.canada.com
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If you have swine flu symptoms will you know? It is important to seek immediate attention if you think you have symptoms of swine flu. Make sure you are prepared to act quickly if you or one of your family members has any signs of illness!

So far, many of the swine influenza cases have been fairly mild, except in Mexico.

Milder cases might have these swine flu symptoms<

a. Fever - Your fever can be high, over 101 degrees F for adults, and it can occur very quickly.

b. Cough - This sometimes has a "barking" sound.

c. Hoarseness - This is a symptom that distinguishes the Swine Flu from normal seasonal flu.

d. Sore throat - This can be severe, but probably not as bad as a strep throat.

e. Depression - This is listed as a symptom of swine flu. However, if you're sick, you probably feel depressed, no matter what you have!

f. Body aches - Aching bones and muscles.

g. Headache

h. Chills

i. Fatigue or extreme tiredness

j. Diarrhea

k. Vomiting

l. Stuffy nose

Severe Influenza Symptoms

No one knows what this virus will end up doing (viruses mutate quickly and then, have new characteristics), so we should be prepared to see more severe symptoms. And, in truth, there have been some reported cases with these symptoms:

a. Difficulty breathing

b. Respiratory failure - inability to breath.

If you have the above symptoms, your illness is very serious, and you may need to be placed on a ventilator.

So, make sure you know what the symptoms of swine flu are-and, if anyone in your family gets sick with these symptoms, you need to be ready to act on their behalf!

source:www.pandemic-flu-guide.com

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Flu prevention is not impossible. A little common sense and some simple steps will give you the best advantage. Not everybody got the flu in the past occurences and many who did recovered.

There are many ways that you can protect your family. You just need to understand how the flu will be spread and what you can do to protect yourself and your family from its ravages.

Prevention is the real key to surviving the Swine Flu pandemic , H1N1 virus. Fortunately, the WHO (World Health Organization) and the CDC (US Centers for Disease Control) scientists tell us that a flu virus eventually lessens its impact over time.

In other words, the longer you can delay getting the flu, the better chance you have of getting a milder form. Yes, you did read that correctly. The flu will probably continue to mutate-flu viruses do change frequently. The pandemic flu virus may actually get more ferocious and more deadly for awhile.

However, months after the first human cases of a pandemic flu, people may get sick with a much milder flu virus, maybe no worse than the seasonal flu virus that we see each year. That's the GOOD news!

Social Isolation to Prevent Swine Flu

If you can possibly isolate yourself and your family for awhile, that will be the most effective pandemic flu prevention possible.
In a perfect world, we could all go into our homes and stay there for a while until the threat of the Swine Flu H1N1 passed. However, many of us will need to go to work or will be involved in emergency healthcare and will be required to leave our homes.

If you must go out
A. Stay away from crowds-at the grocery store, mall, theater, meetings, public transportation, even church.

B. Postpone air travel. In an airplane, the air is in a closed circuit. If someone aboard is ill, everyone is essentially exposed.

C. If you must shop for groceries, do so in the middle of the night when there are fewer shoppers and employees in the store.

Set House Rules to Prevent Flu

Perhaps even more basic, you need to decide NOW what your family rules will be, including how you will initiate social distancing.

While social contact with other people puts you and your family in a high risk group, there are some things that you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones. Many of these actions make sense, not only during a swine flu pandemic, but also during the flu season every year! Make sure you and your family are ready to initiate flu prevention-when the time is right!

Other basic and important prevention measures

Since we now know that Influenza spreads from person-to-person mainly through coughing or sneezing of infected people, so you have to cover your mouth with a tissue or napkin when coughing and sneezing(if you are infected already) and minimize contact with infected people.
1.Wash your hands often with soap(anticeptic preferably) and water,when you return home from work,school,play or contact with anyone outside your home

2.wash hands also with alcoholbased or anticeptic soaps after you cough or sneeze,and after using the toilet.

3.Avoid constant touching of your eyes, nose or mouth.

4.Try as much as you can to avoid close contact with sick people

5.Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze.
Throw the tissue in the waste bin or flush it down the toilet after use

image source:www.pandemic-flu-guide.com

Is there a vaccine for H1N1 flu?

Vaccines are available to be given to pigs to prevent H1N1 flu. There is no vaccine to protect humans from H1N1 flu. The seasonal influenza vaccine will likely help provide partial protection against swine H3N2, but not swine H1N1 viruses.

Are there medicines to treat infection with this new virus?or prevention of infection with these new influenza A (H1N1) viruses. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. During the current outbreak, the priority use for influenza antiviral drugs during is to treat severe influenza illness.

What should I do if I get sick?

If you live in areas where cases have been identified and become ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact their health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others.

If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
a. Fast breathing or trouble breathing

b. Bluish or gray skin color

c. Not drinking enough fluids

d. Not waking up or not interacting

e. Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held

f. Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

g. Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include-
a. Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

b. Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen

c. Sudden dizziness

d. Confussion

e. Severe or persistent vomiting

main source:http://www.cdc.gov
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