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.