Beware of the Swine Flu, Prevention Better Than Cure !!
Q: What are the symptoms?
A: The symptoms of swine influenza in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza infection and include
*lack of appetite
Some people with swine flu have also reported vomiting and diarrhoea.
Q: What is swine flu?
A: It is a contagious respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses.
Pigs are hit by regular outbreaks.
There are many different types of swine flu and the current cases involve the H1N1 strain of type A influenza virus.
Q: How do humans catch it?
A: While people do not normally catch it, humans can contract the virus, usually if they have been in close contact with pigs.
It is also possible for the constantly changing infection to spread from person to person, which has happened in the latest outbreak.
Experts believe it spreads in the same way as seasonal flu – through coughing and sneezing. You cannot catch it through eating pork.
Q: How dangerous is it?
A: More than 150 people have died and thousands made ill,.
However, testing has shown that the antiviral drugs oseltamavir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) appear to be effective against the human swine influenza H1N1 strain,
Q: Why should we be worried about it?
A: The World Health Organisation warned the outbreak had "pandemic potential" and countries were advised to step up surveillance and preparation in case the infection spreads rapidly.
Flu viruses have the ability to change and mutate, making it difficult for drugs manufacturers to ensure effective vaccines are available.
The new version of the H1N1 virus is a mix of different animal and human versions of the disease. Mixing can lead to the development of changed viruses to which humans have little immunity.
Q: What is a pandemic?
A: If the flu spreads over a wide geographic area and affects a large proportion of the population it goes beyond an epidemic and becomes a pandemic.
According to the Health Protection Agency, an influenza pandemic is defined as a new or novel influenza virus that spreads easily between humans.
When new influenza viruses are introduced into the environment, humans do not have any natural immunity to protect against them.
Therefore, there is a risk that new influenza viruses could develop into a pandemic if the virus passes easily from human-to-human.
our own flu-prevention kit
| Item | Reasoning | Prices* |
|---|---|---|
| * Prices from CVS in New York City unless otherwise noted. | ||
| Soap | Washing your hands for 20 seconds with hot water and soap (antibacterial or otherwise) eliminates most germs -- and is the single best thing you can do to avoid contracting the flu, says Pospisil. | $2.69 for a 7.5-ounce bottle of Softsoap Antibacterial. |
| Hand sanitizer | If you’re in a location where you can’t wash your hands immediately, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a good substitute to kill germs, says Simmons. Waterless gel or foam is fine, as are individually wrapped towelettes. | $4.49 for a 15-ounce bottle of CVS-brand sanitizer, or $1.19 for the store’s 2-ounce travel bottle. Or buy a 24-pack of CVS-brand individually wrapped wipes for $3.99. |
| Disinfectant wipes | Wipe down shared surfaces (kitchen table) and those you frequently touch (office desk) to avoid spreading germs. | $6.29 for a container of 75 Clorox wipes. |
| Particulate mask | The CDC is not currently advising that consumers wear particulate masks, says Pospisil. But if you’re really worried, skip the store brands and go with one marked as “N95,” which is what the CDC advises to control exposure of infectious diseases like tuberculosis. | $8.99 for two N95 respirators by 3M on Amazon.com. |
| Gloves | This isn’t a must-do if you’re regularly washing your hands, but wearing gloves limits your exposure to germs on shared surfaces -- a train handrail, for example. Worried consumers can use their own winter-wear or buy a few disposable pairs, says Simmons. (It’s not foolproof, though, so don’t use this in place of hand washing.) | $8.49 for a box of 50 CVS-brand latex gloves. |
