Swine Flu, What Precautions To Take And Which Treatments Are Available
Today we are (more and more|more} vulnerable from various strains of the flu virus. initially we had alarms over bird flu, but recently swine flu has become the major concern. Swine flu is more serious than bird flu was. It was feared that bird flu may mutate into a strain that could infect humans, apart from a few cases, this situation did not materialize. Swine flu is of much more concern, swine flu is able to pass from human to human making swine flu a dangerous threat.
Swine flu (influenza A (H1N1) is a respiratory disease that infects pigs and is the result of a flu virus. Swine flu outbreaks in pigs is is common and is only rarely fatal. Swine flu doesn’t normally infect humans, although it can happen occasionally.
Swine flu is extremely dangerous because it is a new type of the flu virus. This means that no one has been in contact with this particular strain previously, therefore no one has developed any immunity to this strain of flu. It is our inbuilt immunity that stops diseases from becoming life threatening, with no immunity to this virus we are in serious danger from the virus. Absolutely everyone is vulnerable, this includes healthy adults as well as young children and the elderly.
The real concern is what occurs when the flu season starts in the winter. This is the period when the swine flu virus may quickly spread causing a flu pandemic with possibly over half the population becoming infected.
The symptoms of swine flu are very similar to the symptoms of ordinary flu. The symptoms include a sudden,sudden onset of a fever, cough or a shortness of breath. Other symptoms that may present themselves include headaches, a sore throat, aching muscles, chills, sneezing, a runny nose, appetite loss and tiredness.
Precautions First, anyone with cold or flu symptoms needs to take a few simple, but very important precautions. The virus is passed between humans by the droplets from the nose and mouth when someone sneezes or coughs. This is the way viruses such as swine flu are passed from person to person. Holding your nose and mouth with your hands when you cough or sneeze isn’t enough. The germs simply sit on your hands, then everything you touch afterwards becomes contaminated. Anyone touching the same place as you will pick up the germs and will then risk becoming infected. Therefore, always use a handkerchief or a tissue. A tissue is far better, this should then be disposed of safely as soon as you can, and always use a new tissue if you cough or sneeze again.
Currently there are no vaccinations to stop anyone catching swine flu. The swine flu virus is a new type of virus and is not the same as seasonal flu. The annual vaccination against the usual seasonal flu isn’t effective against swine flu. Once the type of flu causing swine flu is identified, it will take many months to produce. By which time, it may well have changed into a different strain.
The only real effective precaution against swine flu is Tamiflu. Tamiflu isn’t guaranteed to prevent flu, but when a person has been exposed to another person who has the flu virus, it can help to stop the virus making a person ill. If Tamiflu is taken within 2 days of contracting the flu virus, it can help to stop the virus spreading throughout the body, reducing the symptoms and associated risk. Governments are stockpiling Tamiflu, these supplies will naturally be used to treat key workers and individuals before treating the general population.
You can however buy Tamiflu online, if the situation occurs you can treat yourself and your family as much as possible. It cannot be emphasized enough, Tamiflu has to be taken as soon as possible to be effective, delays in treatment will reduce the effectiveness of Tamiflu. If you think you may be at a higher risk because of your situation, such as For example living in a busy city with a large population or for example working in a busy office, then it may be prudent to buy Tamiflu before the winter flu season begins. If you happen live in the country and don’t have close contact with many people then of course there will be less chance of getting the flu virus.
Remember that swine flu is a worldwide problem. It is possible that supplies of Tamiflu may not be enough to meet a huge worldwide demand.
Until a vaccine is found and manufactured in the large quantities required, Tamiflu is the most effective treatment for the swine flu virus.
Disclaimer: This post is based on information that is freely available in the press and medical journals related to swine flu. Nothing in this posting is meant to be or should be taken to be any sort of medical advice. For medical advice you are encouraged to consult with your healthcare worker.
This entry was posted on Sunday, June 28th, 2009 at 3:43 am and is filed under General. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.