Swine FluJust another Totalaccessnet.com Blogs weblog

The United Kingdom has become the latest country to confirm cases of the

swine flu. At the same time, the World Health Organization has raised its

alert level from 3 to 4. With 150 people already killed in Mexico, the WHO

revealed that the influenza virus has the sustainability for human-to-human

transmission and can cause community level outbreaks.

One can recall a similar outbreak known as bird flu which was more risky

than H1N1 virus. According to Professor Neil Ferguson of the World Health

Organization, H1N1 is nothing when compared to other similar outbreaks such

as SARS or the 1918 Spanish flu.

According to the professor, the evidence is clear that the United Kingdom

is headed for a swine influenza pandemic in the coming months. However, it

would be difficult to determine the extent of the epidemic since this is

usually the time of the year when flu is prominent in the United Kingdom.

It is likewise almost sure that if the H1N1 outbreak disappears in the

coming weeks, there might still be an outbreak of the virus in the autumn.

If the situation indeed transforms into an epidemic, then 30% – 40% of the

general population might become susceptible to infection. Professor

Ferguson believes that any outbreak might become longer since the summer

season in the United Kingdom is fast approaching.

On the other hand, Sir Liam Donaldson, who is concurrent Chief Medical

Officer for England, believes that this new strain of H1N1 virus is

something which people has natural immunity and has not received any

vaccination yet. For this reason, one becomes susceptible to infection and

spread to other people.
However, there is no sufficient information about the virus yet and H1N1 is

still a subject of studies by major laboratories in the world. Once there

is sufficient information about the virus, only then can it be possible to

make improved predictions about individuals who are at higher risk and

likely to have serious complications.

At present, the situation in Mexico is creating confusion and it is hard to

make a firm a conclusion about what is likely to happen. In any case, there

is a need to be ready for any untoward incidents that may happen.

Professor John Oxford, meanwhile, believes that the H1N1 outbreak is not as

alarming as the H5N1 bird flu virus. He believes that the country can

provide the basic H1N1 immunity for the population. The outbreaks outside

of Mexico have not resulted to deaths which is an indication that the virus

is not that aggressive.

Aside from that, the summer months is fast approaching so it is less

probable for the H1N1 virus to cause an outbreak as well. In any case, the

United Kingdom has enough antiviral medicines to treat half of the

population.

With this in mind, there is no cause for worry about the H1N1 virus, as it

appears that it would cause an outbreak that would be felt all over the

world and increase mortality rates.

The outbreak of H1N1 began in Mexico City and as of today has resulted to

the death of 42 people and more than 800 confirmed cases of swine flu

infection. Although it has now spread in 22 countries, it is believed that

this new virus outbreak would not be result to a pandemic and is milder

than similar virus infections.

With all the wailing and gnashing of teeth involved with the latest flu

outbreak, I think it’s time we set a few things straight about the swine

flu. Think of it as a little public service announcement just to shock some

of you out of that panic and get you thinking straight.

First of all, pork is safe. Yes, I know it’s called swine flu but it’s

nothing like mad cow disease. That’s why there’s a flu at the end instead

of disease, of course. The disease spreads via the same way normal flu

spreads: contact with a contaminated area or person then contact with

either the eyes, nose, or mouth of the prospective infected. Cooked pork

can’t possibly be ever infected because cooking and preparation make sure

that the meat is clean and healthy for consumption. So, yeah, no need to

worry about the ham and bacon in the supermarket.

Secondly, there’s a treatment. Zanamivir and oseltamivir are neuroaminidase

inhibitors which is a fancy description of what they do; they’re a type of

antiviral drugs that inhibits cell reproduction of viruses so that they

won’t spread in the patient’s body. The Center for Disease Control has

highly recommended their use for the treatment and control of the disease.

Actually, if you find yourself sick, you can do initial treatment via the

normal over-the-counter antibiotics that you use when dealing with the

normal flu. These can help make the symptoms more bearable and help your

body resist the disease better. Those and quite a bit of bed rest can go a

long way to make you feel better.

Thirdly, it’s not gonna kill us all. Even at the height of the 1918 Spanish

Flu epidemic, with its more than fifty million worldwide death count, the

human race wasn’t exactly in danger. Plagues and diseases have been a part

of human civilization and history for years. Humans have a way of surviving

and infections eventually burn out, one of the disadvantages of killing

your hosts too quickly. The bodycount may pile high but no natural disease

can eliminate the human species that easily. Besides, like I mentioned

earlier, it is treatable and you can recover from it.

Fourth, it’s not that contagious. Okay, yeah, it’s contagious, but like all

diseases it has its particular infection vectors and if you know those

vectors, a disease can easily be avoided. In this case, swine flu it may

be, but it’s still the flu. This means it spreads through the contact

points I said earlier. Regularly washing your hands before eating is a step

in the right direction and, also, not hanging around sick people, though

that one should be pretty obvious.

Fifth, it’s still the flu. The description maybe a bit vague and the name

exotic, but it’s still the flu in the beginning. You’ll know you’re from it

the same way you know you’re sick from the flu: colds, coughs, chills, and

fatigue. That’s the initial stuff though. If you were smart, you’d have

taken your antibiotics and lessened the effects. If you’re okay after a few

days, that was just the normal flu. However, if the symptoms persist, and

you start to vomit or start to suffer from diarrhea, then it’s swine flu

and you better call for a doctor.

Well, that’s all then. Hopefully, these bits of information help clear up a

few things about the swine flu and help you to undestand the currect

situation the world is in.

With this new strain of influenza running around, properly called Type A

H1N1 swine influenza, but more popularly known as the swine flu, I think it

would be nice to give people the 411 on the latest medical emergency that’s

got the world’s attention.

Swine influenza came from pigs, hence the name, and pigs usually have

regular outbreaks of this disease. The problem with it this time is that

this strain of influenza has managed to jump the species and went over to

us Homo sapiens and cased a bit of havoc.

Pigs don’t have to worry about it because most of them have built-in

resistances to the diseases, mostly because of the constant evolutionary

exposure to the disease. They like us when we receive the flu: a few

chills, sniffles and a bit of bed rest and we’re right as rain. Problem

with that is us humans don’t have this resistance to swine flu, mostly

because we’re not pigs. The pigs would be in the same boat if a human

strain had jumped into the porcine population.

The other problem with it is its virulence. The Center For Disease Control

have determined that this strain of swine flu is contagious and can be

passed to other people through the normal vectors: the virus can be

transmitted when someone touches something that is contaminated and the

puts it in his eyes, nose, or mout. It’s even airborne as microscopic

droplets can travel through the air when someone sneezes. The CDC, however,

is still a bit hazy on some other factors like incubation time and much

contact is too much contact.

Another problem is that the swine flu has the same symptoms as regular

human flu, just worse by an order of magnitude. High fever, cough, sore

throat, body aches, headaches, chills and fatigue can either mean you’ve

been hit by the ordinary human flu and should take the usual cures or maybe

you have the swine flu and need to go to the doctor immediately.

Personally, it would be better to take no chances and just go to the

doctor. Diarrhea and vomiting are the big warning signs though. Death by

flue isn’t direct though. It just compounds with other diseases like

pneumonia and makes it even worse. It can also kick any existing medical

conditions you have like asthma up a notch.

So, the question  on your mind now probably is: is there no hope or should

I just run to the hills to avoid human contact? Thankfully, you don’t have

to go that far. The CDC has recommended the use of several medicines to

treat yourself with and to prevent the spread of the disease. Oseltamivir

and zanamivir are viral inhibitors that make sure that the virus does not

reproduce. More common antiviral drugs that are bought over the counter can

also be effective. They make the symptoms milder and help your body heal

itself faster. They can also stop some of the higher level complications

that can happen when you are infected, if you take them early enough.

Of course, an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. To avoid

getting infected, try to avoid close contact with sick people and wash your

hands on a regular basis, especially before you eat. If you have the

unfrotunate luck of getting sick, isolate yourself and check your symptoms.

Immediately consult with your doctor if your sickness persists more than

usual.

The swine flu is just the latest in a long line of diseases that have

endangered the human race. No matter how frightening it is, it’s still

pretty survivable. All you need to have is the right knowledge to win the

battle.

A process that happens if two different types of influenza virus infected a

single cell and it can produce a new strain of influenza is called

re-assortment.  It will act as a “mixing vessel” in which re-assortment can

occur between flu viruses of several species such as pigs are prone to

influenza viruses that can also infect both humans and birds.  This is

because if the virus allows pieces of RNA from different viruses to mix

together and form a novel type of virus as a new virus particles are being

assembled from a virus splitting between eight independent pieces of RNA.

On the other hand, the World Health Organization raised the pandemic alert

level from phase four to phase five, signaling that a pandemic is

“imminent”.

To know more about different phases of Swine Flu as defined by the WHO, I

enlisted six of them” defined by the WHO:

If a virus circulated among animals but there are no reported cases of

infections to humans will fall under phase one.  An example of this phase

is an outbreak of flu symptoms in your hog race backyard.
In phase two there is an identified animal flu virus and caused infections

to human, and it will be considered a potential pandemic threat.

An example is when the owner either the child or an adult within the hog

race backyard got infected with a flu from their animal symptoms.
Phase 3 specified that a confirmed animal or human-animal flu virus has

caused small outbreaks in human race, but has not resulted in

human-to-human transmission that is sufficient to sustain community-level

outbreaks. An example in this phase is when a child within the hog race

backyard got infected together with his father, his mother and his

siblings.

Radically in Phase 4, there is a cause of community-level outbreaks of

human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal flu virus.  This

phase will focus to contain the spreading of the virus.  The United Nations

will then inform different countries asking to advice their people such as

traveling to containment areas.  All countries with infected with the swine

flu must also consider in deploying a pandemic vaccine. An example of this

when the infected family member went out from their backyard decided to

talk to his friends and unaware that he’s spreading the virus.

In the 5th phase, if there are at least two countries in one region and

spread the virus by means of human-to-human transmission.  The signal of

the pandemic is imminently strong.  The infected countries are required to

advise people with respiratory illnesses to stay home.  There should be an

advisory of suspension of classes.  An example of this is when a

man-infected virus either a family member or any of his friends travel to

another neighboring country.

The sixth and final phase also called the pandemic phase.  A pandemic phase

is just like a spread of virus in phase 5 but extended at least one other

country outside their geographic region.  There must be an implementation

of contingency plans of health systems in all levels.  An example of this

is when a man-infected virus travel to another continent.

Whatever phases of Swine Flu outbreak, we are experiencing in our country

or geographic region we must prepare and prevent it to spread to lessen the

death toll.

The Center for Disease Control has probably had some very wild times this

past decade. First SARS, then the bird fle, and now today’s potential

epidemic is the swine flu. First manifesting itself in Mexico this past

April, this new and terrible strain of Type A H1N1 influenza is one of

those things that every microbiologist and health care professional is

afraid of.

The reason for that fear is pretty simple. Like the bird flu, this

particular strain crossed species. Specifically, it crossed over from the

swine population, a species that has an in-built resistance to it, to the

human population, a population that does not. If this spreads and becomes a

full blown epidemic, the swine flu may reach the heights of the 1918

Spanish Flu, which killed fifty to a hundred million people worldwide and

devastated the post-World War I generation.

The CDC has stepped up its alert levels and some governments have

instituted quarantine procedures, but still more and more cases are

emerging across the world. Mexico City has most of the fatalities though,

with most other cases outside of city being less severe in symptoms.

However, this is just a month into the outbreak and anything can still

happen. With the continuing spread of the disease, let’s talk about how

this affects you.

Let’s be honest here, after all that I’ve just said, there’s actually no

real reason to panic. Actually, we shouldn’t panic. That’s because panic

just confuses people and to deal effectively with something of this

magnitude, being confused is not the state of mind you want to be in. What

you really need to be is to be aware and knowledgeable about what you’re

dealing with. This and quick ddecisive action is what got the world through

SARS and the bird flu, and it most likely will help us make sure that the

swine flu isn’t the one that kills us all.

The swine flu is pretty much like your normal human flu. It has all the

same infection vectors, all the same symptoms, and all the same treatments.

It’s all just heightened by a factor of two, mostly because humans haven’t

any natural resistance to the disease. If you want to avoid getting

infected do all the same things that you’d do to avoid getting the flu:

wash your hands regularly, take your vitamins, and avoid sick people.

If you somehow get sick, it’s not the time to run around like a headless

chicken. You immediately isolate yourself so you won’t infect others and

observe your symptoms, all of the while taking your regular flu medicine.

Note that even if it is called swine flu, it’s still a virus and antiviral

drugs are pretty effective in putting a dent in the symptoms you may

experience and help your immune system kick the infection out.

It your symptoms persist despite your efforts, you better start calling for

a doctor. Don’t worry if it really is the swine flu – the CDC has

recommended the use of antiviral inhibitors that help stop the reproduction

of the disease and the sickness is definitely treatable.

Let’s all just remember that the swine flu maybe deadly, but it’s still

just a disease. And the only things you need to have to beat a disease is

being smart and being careful. With all the noise that the media brings up

about it, that fact may get lost in the shuffle. Remember it and it may

just save your life.

Swine flu is an illness that is affecting hundreds of individuals in the

United States as well as worldwide. According to the CDC, the illness may

take some more time. Since one is likely to become infected with the

condition, they need to understand swine flu symptoms in order for them to

obtain proper treatment or medicaion.

The Symptoms

The symptoms of H1N1 infection is similar to that of seasonal flu. Among

the symptoms include cough, sore throat, running or stuffy nose, chills and

fatigue, to name just a few. Several people infected with the virus have

complained of diarrhea and vomiting. The high risk groups prone to H1N1 is

not yet known at the moment but it is likely that they are similar to those

suffering from seasonal influenza.

People at greater risk of serious side effects from seasonal flu include

people more than 65 years old, children below 5 years old, pregnant women,

and people with chronic medical consitions as well as those who are taking

immunosuppressive medications or with HIV infection.

Avoid Social Contact

If you are feeling sick, your condition may last for more than a week. You

should remain at home and refrain from making social contact. As much as

possible, you should not communicate with other people to avoid the spread

of the virus.

At the moment, the CDC believes that H1N1 has similar properties on the

aspect of transmission with seasonal flu virus. If you go out of the house

to consult your doctor, wear a mask or use a tissue when coughing or

sneezing. 

According to recent studies, people suffering from seasonal flu are at risk

to transmit the disease a day prior to development of symptoms for up to

seven days after getting sick.

Children are more likely to be at risk for a longer period of time so it is

best to consult a healthcare provider.
Emergency Warning Signs

If you suddenly become sick and experience any of the following warning

signs, this is your cue to seek emergency medical assistance.

In the case of children becoming ill due to H1N1infection, the following

warning signs may require immediate medical attention:

* Fast or difficulty in breathing
* Bluish or gray colored skin
* Insufficient amount of liquids
* Severe or continuous vomiting
* Lack of sleep or interaction
* Irritability
* Recovery from flu-like symptoms but the symptoms come back with fever and

worse coughing

Among adults, the following emergency warning signs demand immediate

medical attention:

* Trouble with breathing or shortness of breath
* Abdominal pains or pressure in the chest
* The individual suddenly becomes dizzy
* The patient is confused
* Severe or continuous vomiting
* Recovery from flu-like symptoms but the symptoms come back with fever and

worse coughing

Prevention Is The Best Treatment

You can do your part in preventing the spread of the H1N1 virus. Here are

some tips on how you can take part in efforts for preventing the spread of

infection.

* Be aware. Obtain information about H1N1 by visiting the website of the

CDC.

* Use a tissue in covering your mouth and nose when sneezing. Afterwards,

throw the tissue in the trash.

* With soap and water, wash your hands after coughing or sneezing. If

possible, use alcohol-based sanitizers.

* Refrain from touching your nose or mouth as this could lead to easy

transmission of germs.

By being aware of swine flu symptoms, the spread of the H1N1 virus would

easily be prevented.

Everyone’s all abuzz with panic nowadays it seems. That’s mostly because

after SARS and bird flu, another new strain of virus has managed to rear

its head. The H1N1 influenza virus, more popularly known as the swine flu,

exploded on to the global scene last April via a large-scale infection in

Mexico City.

I think everyone’s seen the images on CNN a thousand time. Surgical-masked

Mexicans crowding the hospitals with worrisome shots of full hospital

beds.The Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization

raised their alert levels in hopes of catching and cutting off the

infection at the bud, but it seems that cases have been reported all over

the world. It seems that the current fatalities from disease are from

Mexico but everyone is just expecting for the other shoe to drop.

To understand all of this panic, ypou need to have a little background.

Influenza, or more popularly known as the flu, is probably one of the most

infectious diseases out there. Airborne and highly contagious, it could

spread like wildfire all across the world. Now you’re asking what’s the

matter with a few people getting a bit of sniffles? That’s because this

isn’t your ordinary flu.

A lot of the flu viruses we are exposed to have been in the human system

for hundreds of years. We’ve managed to build an immunity to these strains.

The big problem that’s got everyone running scared is the idea that a flu

strain has crossed species. This is what happened with the bird flu and

now, with the swine flu. The pigs and birds have also built up resistances

to these diseases, however, since humans are not used to them, these

strains of flu have a very large potential of being fatal.

The last time a large-scale flu epidemic raged around the world,

electricity was just coming into vogue and cars were all Model Ts. The

Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918 literally set the bar for every modern disease

in terms of casualties. Fifty to a hundred million people worldwide died

over a period of two years from 1918 to 1920 as the disease spread

worldwide. Following on the heels of the Great War, it was a one-two punch

that killed an entire generation of young men and women. What everyone’s

afraid of is this: the 1918 epidemic was a subtype of the H1N1 flu virus,

the same virus that seems to have crossed over and become a real threat to

humans.

This is why the CDC is keeping a close watch on Mexico and hoping all of

the subsidiary cases worldwide aren’t indications of the beginning of some

worldwide epidemic. The good news about this is that the disease is

treatable. Medicine and vaccine production alerts have been sent out by the

CDC and most pharmaceutical companies have started churning out oseltamivir

and zanamivir.

The problem with that is the demand may outstrip the supply depending on

the swine flu’s virulence. More common antiviral drugs are also available

but they’re not exactly definitive cures. They serve to weaken the symptoms

and give you a fighting chance and prevent some of the worse flu symptoms

like diarrhea and vomiting.

So as the world waits and watches the situation in Mexico, it would be a

good idea to take a few precautions. Regular hand washes and vitamins can

help make sure you avoid the initial infection of the swine flu. Avoiding

pork’s not needed though. Swine flu can’t be transmitted through food.

Remember to just a take a few preventive measures and you can come through

clean and healthy.

Officials of the Federal government believe that the swine flu vaccine that

would protect all Americans from future H1N1 outbreaks would be available

by January or late November at the earliest.

HoTop of Form

wever, countries outside the United States and other nations that

manufacture vaccines would take several years to generate sufficient

vaccines to meet global demands.

Although manufacturing of the vaccine is faster than it was a few years

back, it may still not be enough to prevent death and illness if the

dreaded virus begins to spread and becomes virulent, experts predict.

In the United States, the main obstacle despite long years of effort

remains to be the 50-year old technology they use in manufacturing flu

vaccines. The Federal government had invested time and billions of dollars

shifting to a quicker and more reliable method.

One such procedure involves cultivating the vaccine viruses in vats of

cells instead of hen’s eggs. There are several small companies that are

developing new methods that would pave the way for the creation of large

volumes of vaccines in a span of weeks.

Dr. Greg Poland, who is the head of the vaccine research program at the

Mayo Clinic, admits that the cell-based cultivation technology is not yet

available while the never technologies have not yet been proven to satisfy

most experts.

In addition, government officials have also not yet decided on whether or

not H1N1 is a potential risk that demands production of vaccine. However,

they are implementing the initial steps. Andrin Oswald, Chief Executive of

the Vaccine Division of Novartis, revealed that one possible problem would

be the manufacture of vaccines for swine influenza could hamper the

production of seasonal flu vaccines for the coming winter. The most likely

thing to do is to compromise, according to Oswald.

However, Robin Robinson, who manages the Emergency Preparation Research

Program of the Department of Health and Human Services, believes that

majority of manufacturing efforts of vaccine makers would have been

completed by June.

According to Dr. Robinson, if the manufacture of the H1N1 vaccine would

commence after that, the first 50 million to 80 million would be ready by

September.

Dr. Robinson continued by saying that the entire 600 million doses, which

are sufficient to give the required two shots for every American would be

available by January. Adding the immune stimulant adjuvant to the vaccine

could greatly reduce the required dosage, paving the way for the

availability of the doses by the latter part of November.

The vaccine industry in the country is now very much capable of responding

to the outbreak than it was five years back, when there were only two

vaccine manufacturers and encountered a severe shortage. At present, there

are five manufacturers supplying vaccines to the domestic market. The

vaccine industry, which is used to be the backwater of the pharmaceutical

industry, is generating new investments, as a result of government

subsidies and higher cost for vaccines.

Despite of this, a World Health Organization and International Federation

of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations revealed that it would

still require four more years of manufacturing to meet global demands for a

vaccine that would provide protection against bird flu strain that has been

the major concern of health officials over the last few years. 

Finally, the Federal government is encouraging manufacturers to shift their

production in the United States, since all except Sanofi Aventis is now

importing swine flu vaccines.

Of this Swine Flu’s 5th phase spread out, if there are at least two

countries in one region and spread the virus by any means of human-to-human

transmission.  The signal of the pandemic is strong.  The infected

countries are required to advise people with respiratory illnesses to stay

at home.  There should be an advisory of suspension of classes.  Some key

states in the United States already announced suspension of classes.  An

example of this is when a man-infected virus either a family member or any

of his friends travel to another neighboring country.

If an infected man goes out from his community booked a flight to another

country such as China, that country will get infected too.  People whom he

talked while in plane even if he’s experiencing a fever, sore throat and

headaches can be possible Swine Flu career after few more days before

he/she can discover the virus.  Similar case from a 19-year old Chinese

student from Canada (he closely contact with dying man by Swine Flu virus

and later traveled home to Beijing and boarded the train.)
 
In the Philippines, no outbreak of swine flu yet but the government is now

planning and preparing for the possible spread out.  President Gloria

Macapagal Arroyo instructed Health Secretary Francisco Duque III to closely

monitor the possible spread out to the Filipino.  Some Filipinos are aware

of the pandemic but they still go to the countries with flu spread out

cases believing themselves that they have strong immune system.
In Mexico, some of the schools are already closed to protect their children

from bigger numbers of flu cases.

This massive spread out was all started from scratch—the phase one.  This

article will try to reenact the source of Swine Flu with a short fiction

story.  In the first phase, there is an animal-flu governed the hog farm in

a poor community.  Suddenly by the next phase, this cute little pig started

delivering sneezed out from the slimy and shiny nose to his owner.  The

owner suffers with a sneeze, cough, sore throat, fever and headaches by the

next few hours.

Unintentionally, as a Swine Flu carrier, will be sharing his cough to his

child on the next phase.  And on the fourth phase the child greets her

friend who is now leaving for another country for a vacation.  And that

friend while in the plane experiencing a fever and sore throat with

headache until her father discovered in that country that she had a Swine

Flu virus.

Some countries are also doing their planning and preparation for the

prevention of the Swine Flu virus spread out.  Advance preventive measures

will lessen the spread out.  Check your health officers about the

information available against Swine Flu.