What is swine flu?

Swine flu is a type of influenza caused by H1N1 virus, previously known attack pigs. Swine flu virus ˑN1 is the influenza A virus mutation and is usually found in Asia and Europe. How do viruses spread of swine flu?

Flu-infected pigs to humans each year and is usually found in people who come into contact with pigs, although it also found cases of transmission from human to human.

What are the symptoms experienced when exposed to swine flu?

Symptoms of flu virus infection of pigs include fever, stiffness in the joints, vomiting, loss of consciousness, which ended in death.

How do we know how the prevention of swine flu virus?

Avoid direct contact with pigs.
Because swine flu spread through the air and can also through direct contact with patients, and its incubation period of 3-5 days. Recommended for the community as well as cautious against bird flu. Maintain the behaviour of living clean and healthy, the nose and mouth when sneezing, washing hands with soap after the pro-activity, examined immediately and if the health of flu symptoms is to avoid the first stage of the swine flu virus.

Hopefully with the information about the swine flu at the top, all of us can be wary and avoid swine flu.

A pandemic is an outbreak of a new infectious disease, which causes serious illness and spreads widely from person to person across more than one geographical region. HIV/Aids can thus be described as a pandemic illness — it emerged to infect many people relatively recently. Cancer cannot: it is not by and large caused by infection, and neither is it new.

How does a pandemic differ from an epidemic?

An epidemic occurs whenever the number of cases of a particular disease exceeds the number that would normally be expected. Epidemics of infectious disease can escalate into pandemics, but do not always do so.

Is swine flu going to cause a pandemic?

Probably. Professor Roy Anderson, a leading epidemiologist who is also Rector of Imperial College, London, said yesterday that he considers a pandemic is already under way — the question that remains is how serious it will be. Many scientists were saying the same thing privately even before the World Health Organisation raised the threat level to phase 5 on Wednesday, indicating that it considers a pandemic to be imminent.

How bad will it be?

We don’t know. The early indications are that the virus spreads easily, but is not especially lethal — at least outside Mexico. In the US, there have been 109 confirmed cases and only one fatality and that was a Mexican toddler who had travelled to the US after becoming infected. However, there have been too few infections confirmed to date for scientists to be confident about its virulence.

What will determine its course?

There are two crucial factors: the transmissibility of the virus, and its virulence. The first will determine how quickly flu will spread and how many people will become infected. The latter will determine how many people who are infected fall seriously ill or die.

How is virulence measured?

The key measure is the case fatality rate — the proportion of infected people who die. For the Spanish flu of 1918-19, this was about 2.5 per cent, while for the 1968 pandemic it was below 0.5 per cent. This explains the huge difference in the death tolls.

It has so far been impossible to establish the case fatality rate for swine flu with much reliability. To calculate it, you need to know the total number of infections as well as the total number of deaths, and reliable data on the Mexican outbreak is not available.

Even a low case fatality rate, of 0.1 per cent, would still be dangerous if the virus spreads very widely. If 40 per cent of the UK population became infected, as the worst-case scenarios suggest, there could be as many as 240,000 deaths.

How is transmissibility measured?

The measure here is the reproduction number, sometimes known as R. This is the average number of people that each person with the virus will infect. If R is greater than one, then the virus is spreading. If it is below one, then it is starting to peter out. The reproduction number can be affected by many factors: the biology of the virus, the level of immunity in the population, containment measures such as isolation, school closures and travel restrictions, and the use of antiviral treatments and vaccines.

Again, the reproduction number for swine flu remains unknown, though it is clearly above one. As epidemiologists establish its value over the coming days and weeks, they will develop a much better idea of the likely course of the pandemic.

Some scientists say they’re hoping for a “mild pandemic”. Isn’t this a contradiction in terms?

No. All pandemics are serious, but they do not necessarily have to feature very high levels of mortality. A disease can fulfil all the criteria of a pandemic without killing very large numbers of people — that is what is meant here by “mild”.

The 1968-9 flu pandemic is an example of a past event that is generally considered to be mild. It killed an estimated 1 million people worldwide — many more than the usual annual death toll for seasonal flu of 250,000 to 500,000, but many fewer than the 50 million who are thought to have died in the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1918-19.

How does swine flu compare with avian flu as a pandemic threat?

The H1N1 swine flu virus is much more readily transmissible than the H5N1 avian virus — the latter has not yet developed the ability to pass readily from person to person. However, H5N1 is much more virulent. WHO figures show it has killed 257 of the 421 people infected so far — a case fatality rate of 61 per cent. If it were to become more transmissible, the resulting pandemic would almost certainly be a lot worse.

Have studies of the virus offered any clues to virulence?

Yes. Early indications are encouraging. Preliminary analysis suggests that it infects the upper part of the airway, which is generally a hallmark of less virulent viruses. It also appears to lack a protein that is involved in triggering extreme immune system responses known as cytokine storms, which are often the cause of death with highly pathogenic flu viruses such as the 1918 strain.

Source: timesonline.co.uk & itthai.net

Coughing with a cold is influenza
Cough cold symptoms usually begin 2-3 days after the infection. Very typical symptoms, is sneezing, sneezing, watery nose, nasal congestion, coughing, hoarse voice. Indeed, it can take more than a week. Usually only 2-3 days if symptoms mild, but can be up to 2 weeks when symptoms are severe. However, when more than 2 days cold symptoms have not gone as well, so it is can be allergic to.

Generally, people are often misguided, bring a cold with cough influenza. Symptoms are initially similar, but the symptoms of cough-cold lighter than influenza. Influenza tends to cause a fever, stiff muscles, and a more severe cough. But the mild symptoms of influenza, may be similar to a cold cough. Indeed quite difficult to distinguish based on symptoms.

Both cough and cold equally influenza caused by a virus, but the type of virus causes different. Type of virus causes symptoms of cough and cold influenza could amount more than 200 kinds. That is difficult for our body to build immunity. Because every time a virus attack can vary.

Colds occur due to cold?
During this time, many people thought that the cold can cause a cold. Based on the research, was never proven that exposure to cold weather, cold, heat or cold can cause if we are infected with the virus. But dr. M. Elson Hass, a doctor from the United States that combine treatment conventional and natural, in his article staying Healthy with Dr. Elson Haas explained that the virus is not the only cause of cough cold. According to him, her body weak immunity tend to be more easily exposed to disease infection. Hsl-case and a weak immune causes, such as poor eating patterns, lack of sports, stress, and less sleep.

It appears that we really need to stress the more cautious we experienced daily. Because based on the research, the stress can be immune disease so easily affected by infection. When we stress, hormone release was increasing corticosteroid, type of hormone that is known can the body’s immune against disease infections. Modern life that tends to cause stress is one of the suspected causes of the high cold cough disease cases in large cities.

On a cold changes that occur each season, according to Dr. Haas possibility that our natural tendency is natural detox the symptoms are similar to flu. When the air becomes more humid and cold, the body tends to expel the remnants metabolism and excessive mucus clean and clog the network cellto expedite the circulation of blood. That way, we can adapt to the weather outside.

Increase the body’s immunity
Because there is no medicine that can kill the virus, the cough of a cold usually tend to leave it or take the medicine sold freely when mild symptoms. They come to a new doctor if symptoms are experienced is very severe and disrupt. However, doctors are usually only provide vitamins and medicine press symptoms
cough cold. Drug fever is given if there are symptoms.

Antibiotics are also given doctors. Actual antibiotic medication that is not appropriate for the virus, but more suitable for the bacteria. But if you happen to complications such as infection of the bacteria in the middle ear or sinusitis, antibiotics in case this is indeed necessary.

It appears that, prevention efforts more easily than do business treatment. Based on the research, 95% of the normal will infects if there is a virus into the nose. However, every person who’s infected, only 75% have experienced symptoms of cough cold. Twenty five percent of the rest even though the virus infected, are not experiencing any symptoms. Suspected this is because the body’s immune system has the better.

So if you want to prevent the occurrence of cough cold, then the most prudent action is to increase body immunity. To do that is by improving the pattern of eating, exercise regularly, the stress and sleeping enough.

We need to reduce the consumption of snack and drinks containing processed sugar. Also, food and beverages that contain a variety of preservative and artificial colouring, because it can decrease the number of cells-white blood cell in the body and weaken the ability of our white blood cells against viruses. Every day we should consume the food
a healthy, nutritious and balanced with a varied menu. Try not to lack of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, and
Zinc.

Prevent the occurrence of
To prevent the occurrence of transmission, we need to understand how this virus reproduce itself and cause infection. Interesting in themselves in the living cell. Outside the living cell, the virus can not reproduce themselves, but can live up to together to go to air in the nose can cause infection.

Cough cold virus can also easily get into our body through the mouth, nose or eyes. Usually we are easily affected by cold coughing while in close proximity to people who sneeze, cough or sneeze. However, the more often, the virus entered through our fingers because of accidental touching objects that have experienced contamination of viruses such as the pen is located on the table, the start button on the fax machine or photocopier equipment, receiver, grip stairs or doors in public places , or when the push button to set the lights. Few viruses are enough to cause infection.

In the children can spread more easily because the more good in the school playground or in the park, the possibility of a contact at the time of playing together is very large. Also if they play with the toys using the same. If one is infected easily transmit to the children of others.

The following steps to prevent the occurrence of:

If the condition of your body or your children are less fit, avoid too much contact with people with a cold cough.

After contact with patients or with the objects and surfaces if the places have experienced the virus, wash hands flee. Hand washing can remove the virus causes cough from cold hands and fingers. Movement of hand washing have a release from the hands of the virus and
fingers. Ordinary soap and detergent that we use can not kill the virus but can help to remove it from the hands and fingers us.

Keep your fingers out of eyes, mouth or nose.

Try to avoid if there are people who cough or sneeze to your direction.

Clean the surface of objects around you with a disinfectant.

Prevent the natural way
If we have already experienced symptoms of cough cold, the following are some things you can do to help reduce pain and speed healing:

Make sure your body. Get enough rest in bed, release while day-to-day routines and try to banish stress. Tired your body that need to be able to fight this disease.

Drink lots of fluids, especially white water, fresh fruit juice, herbal tea or hot.

Consume vegetable soup with garlic flavour will be very helpful. Because garlic contains many chemicals that can work antimicrobial, antivirus and antiprotozoa.

Echinacea is a herb that has been known to help overcome the cold cough. However, this herb is only effective if used when we infected the virus.

Dose of vitamin C in particular, can not even treat, at least, can reduce the disease or illness curtail the occurrence of symptoms over time.

Essential oil containing menthol and Eucalyptus has long been used to overcome a cold cough and flu. There are a lot of menthol in peppermint oil, are found in the Eucalyptus oil Eucalyptus.

For the cough, a herb and lemon honey. If severe enough make the herb aloe Vera and honey.

How does the spread of influenza virus and how long its incubation period?

Influenza virus can spread from one person to another person, primarily through coughing or sneezing of an influenza patient.

The period of incubation of this disease is approximately one to four days (average two days). In the adults, have been infected since starting one day before the occurrence of symptoms of influenza until five days after starting it. While children can spread the virus to more than ten days.

What symptoms or characteristics influenza fell ill and as a result?

Characteristic of the disease appear in the form of interference and the general circumstances of the occurrence of respiratory disturbances such as sudden fever, muscle pain, headaches, feeling weak, that is not productive cough, sore throat and runny nose. In children can cause Nausea and vomiting.

In most people, influenza disease will recover itself, but the cough is usually settled until more than two weeks. For some people who previously have had a heart trouble and tuberculosis, influenza can cause disease pneumonia secondary. Whereas in children, this disease can cause high heat until resembles sepsis, and 20% of children who are experiencing fever convulsions.

How does the prevention of influenza?

One of prevention against influenza is to provide influenza vaccine. Vaccines against influenza, especially intended to prevent influenza illness and complications due to disease.

Whether the influenza vaccine? Should be given to whom?

The vaccine is given from the influenza virus vaccine that is given in inactive and intramuscular injection in the deltoid region in adults or children in the anterolateral thigh region. This vaccine should not be given to those who have been known to have hypersensitivities eggs.