Swine Flu And Bird Flu, What Precautions To Take And Which Treatments Are Available
We are today (more and more|more} at risk from various strains of the flu virus. First we had scares over the bird flu virus, and recently swine flu has become the major worry. Swine flu is more serious than bird flu ever was. It was a worry that bird flu could mutate into a form that would infect humans, apart from a handful of cases, this situation did not materialize. Swine flu is of much more worry, swine flu is able to spread from human to human making swine flu a dangerous threat.
Swine flu (influenza A (H1N1) is a respiratory disease that effects pigs, it is the result of a flu virus. Swine flu outbreaks in pigs is not uncommon and is rarely fatal. Swine flu doesn’t normally infect humans, but it can occasionally happen.
Swine flu is particularly dangerous because it is a new type of virus. This means that no one has been exposed to this particular strain before, 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 swine flu we are in serious danger from the virus. Everyone is vulnerable, this includes healthy adults and teenagers as well as young children and the elderly.
The real worry is what will happen when winter arrives. It is then when the flu virus may spread quickly causing widespread illness with the potential for over half 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 a fever, cough, shortness of breath. Other symptoms that may present themselves include headache, a sore throat, aching muscles, chills, sneezing, a runny nose, loss of appetite and tiredness.
Precautions to take First, anyone with cold or flu symptoms should to take a few simple, but very important precautions. The virus is passed between humans by the small droplets from the nose and mouth 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 isn’t enough. The germs simply sit on your hands, then everything you touch afterwards becomes contaminated. Anyone then touching the same place as you will pick up the germs and then risks becoming infected. Therefore, always use a handkerchief or tissue. A tissue is better, this should then be disposed of safely as soon as possible, try to use a new tissue if you sneeze or cough again.
At the moment there are no vaccinations that prevent anyone catching swine flu. The swine flu virus is a new strain of virus and is not the same as seasonal flu. The annual vaccination against the usual ordinary flu isn’t effective against the swine flu virus. Even when the type of flu causing swine flu is identified, it will take many months to manufacture. By which time, it may have mutated into a different strain again.
The only effective precaution against the swine flu virus is Tamiflu. Tamiflu is not guaranteed to stop flu, but when a person has been exposed to another individual who has the flu virus, Tamiflu can help prevent the virus making a person sick. If Tamiflu is taken within two days of contracting the flu virus, it can help stop the virus spreading throughout the body, thereby reducing the symptoms and risk associated. Governments are stockpiling Tamiflu, but these supplies will 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. Although it can’t be emphasized enough, Tamiflu needs to be taken as soon as possible to be effective, delays in treating the virus will 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 city with a large population or working in a busy open plan office, then it may be prudent to buy Tamiflu before the flu season begins. If you happen live in the country and do not have close contact with many people then of course your risk will be lower.
Remember that swine flu is a worldwide problem. If a pandemic outbreak becomes global it is possible that supplies of Tamiflu may be diminished and may not be great 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 the swine flu virus.
Disclaimer: This post is based on information freely available in the popular press and medical journals related to swine flu. Nothing in this article is intended to be or should be taken to be medical advice. For medical advice you are advised to consult your physician.
