Swine Flu, What Are The Precautions To Take And Treatments Available
Today we are (more and more|more} at risk from various mutations of the flu virus. initially we had alarms over the bird flu virus, but more recently swine flu has become the major worry. Swine flu is more serious than bird flu was. It was a worry that bird flu could change into a form that could infect humans, but for a few cases, this situation did not materialize. Swine flu is of much more worry, it has the ability to pass between humans making swine flu a dangerous threat.
Swine flu (influenza A (H1N1) is a disease that infects pigs, it is the result of a flu virus. Outbreaks of swine flu in pigs is is common but is only rarely fatal. Swine flu has not normally infected humans, although it can occasionally happen.
Swine flu is particularly dangerous because it is a new strain of the flu virus. The problem is 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 inbuilt immunity that stops diseases from becoming life threatening, with no inbuilt immunity to swine flu we are in serious danger from the virus. Absolutely everyone is vulnerable, this includes healthy adults as well as children and the elderly.
The real worry is what will happen when the flu season starts in the winter. It is then when the swine flu virus may spread quickly causing a flu pandemic with possibly over half the population being affected.
The symptoms of swine flu are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu. These can include a sudden,sudden onset of fever, cough, shortness of breath. Other symptoms can include headaches, a sore throat, aching muscles, chills, sneezing, a runny nose, loss of appetite and tiredness.
Precautions Anyone with cold or flu symptoms needs to take a few simple, but most important precautions. The flu virus is spread between humans by the droplets from the mouth and nose when someone coughs or sneezes. 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 is not enough. The virus simply sit on your hands, and everything you touch afterwards becomes contaminated. Anyone then touching the same place as you will pick up the virus and then risks becoming infected. Always use a handkerchief or tissue. A tissue is far better, this should then be disposed of as soon as you can, and always use a new tissue if you sneeze or cough again.
Currently there are no vaccinations to stop anyone catching swine flu. The swine flu virus is a new type of virus and isn’t the same as seasonal flu. The vaccination against the normal ordinary flu is not effective against swine flu. Even when the strain of flu virus causing swine flu is identified, it will then take many months to produce. By this time, it may well have changed into a different strain.
Currently the only real effective treatment against the swine flu virus is Tamiflu. Tamiflu isn’t guaranteed to prevent flu, but when someone has been exposed to another person who has the flu virus, Tamiflu can help prevent the virus making a person ill. If Tamiflu is taken within 2 days of contracting the flu virus, it can help stop the virus spreading throughout the body, reducing the symptoms and associated risk. Governments worldwide are stocking up on Tamiflu, but these supplies will naturally be used to treat important workers and individuals before treating the general population.
You can buy Tamiflu online, if the situation arises you can protect yourself and your family. It can’t be emphasized strongly enough, Tamiflu needs to be taken as early as possible to be effective, any delays in treatment will greatly reduce the effectiveness of Tamiflu. If you think you may be at a greater risk due to your situation, such as For example living in a city with a large population or working in a busy office, then it may be wise to buy Tamiflu before the flu season begins. If you live in the country and do not have close contact with many people then of course your risk will be lower.
Also, remember that swine flu is a global problem. It is possible that supplies of Tamiflu may be diminished and may not be enough to meet a large worldwide demand.
Until a vaccine is discovered and produced in the quantities needed, Tamiflu is the most effective treatment for swine flu.
Disclaimer: This posting is based on information freely available in the press and medical articles related to swine flu. Nothing in this posting is intended to be or should be construed to be medical advice. For medical advice you are advised to consult your own healthcare worker.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 29th, 2009 at 3:59 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.