Swine Flu And Bird Flu, What Are The Precautions You Can Take And Treatments Available
We are today (more and more|more} at risk from the various mutations of the flu virus. initially we had alarms over bird flu, and more recently swine flu has become the major concern. Swine flu is more serious than bird flu ever was. It was feared that bird flu may change into a form that would infect humans, but for a handful of cases, this situation did not materialize. Swine flu is of much more concern, it has the ability to spread from human to human making it a dangerous threat.
Swine flu (influenza A (H1N1) is a disease that infects pigs and is caused by a flu virus. Swine flu outbreaks in pigs is is common and is only rarely fatal. In the past, swine flu has not normally infected humans, but it can happen occasionally.
Swine flu is very dangerous as it is a new strain of the flu virus. It is dangerous because no one has been exposed to this particular strain previously, and therefore no one has built up any immunity to this flu strain. It is our immunity that prevents diseases from becoming life threatening, with no immunity to the swine flu virus we are at the mercy of the virus. Absolutely everyone is vulnerable, this includes healthy adults as well as children and the elderly.
The real concern is what will happen when the winter flu season arrives. It is then when the flu virus may spread quickly causing widespread illness with the potential for over half of the population being affected.
The symptoms of swine flu are very similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu. The symptoms include a sudden,sudden onset of fever, cough or a shortness of breath. Other symptoms that may present themselves include headaches, a sore throat, muscle aches, chills, sneezing, a runny nose, appetite loss and tiredness.
Precautions First, anyone with cold or flu symptoms needs to take a few easy, but very important precautions. The virus is passed between humans by the small droplets from the mouth and nose when someone sneezes or coughs. This is how viruses such as swine flu are spread from person to person. Holding your face with your hands when you sneeze or cough is not 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 then risks becoming infected themselves. Always use a handkerchief or a tissue. A tissue is far better, this should then be disposed of as soon as possible, try to use a new tissue if you sneeze or cough again.
Currently there are no vaccinations that stop anyone catching swine flu. Swine flu is a new type of virus and is not the same as seasonal flu. The annual vaccination against the usual ordinary flu is not effective against the swine flu virus. Once the strain of flu causing swine flu is identified, it will take many months to produce. By this time, it may well have mutated into a different strain.
The only real effective treatment against swine flu is Tamiflu. Tamiflu is not guaranteed to stop flu, but when a person has been exposed to another person who is carrying the flu virus, Tamiflu can help to stop the virus making a person sick. If Tamiflu is taken within 2 days of developing flu, it can help to stop the virus spreading throughout the body, reducing the symptoms and associated risk. Governments are stockpiling Tamiflu, but these supplies will be used to treat important workers and individuals before treating the general population.
You can however buy Tamiflu online, so if the situation arises you can treat yourself and your family. Although it cannot be emphasized enough, Tamiflu has to be taken as early as possible to be effective, any delays in treating the flu virus will greatly reduce the effectiveness of Tamiflu. If you think you may be at a increased 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 your risk will be lower.
Also, remember that swine flu is a worldwide problem. It is possible that supplies of Tamiflu may not be great enough to meet a huge global demand.
Until a vaccine is found and produced in the large quantities needed, Tamiflu is the most effective treatment for swine flu.
Disclaimer: This post is based on information that is freely available in the media and medical journals concerned with swine flu. Nothing in this post is meant to be or should be taken to be medical advice. For medical advice you are advised to consult with your own healthcare worker.
This entry was posted on Saturday, November 28th, 2009 at 5:19 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.