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.

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.

limelight due to the potential harm or effects it can have on a patient or

on a community. Unfortunately, the source of the virus still cannot be

traced.

Before the first case in the United States was discovered, the illness was

believed to have started in Mexico which eventually spread to other

countries. Recently, the first case of swine flu was reported in
Costa Rica. Alarmed that it could grow into a worldwide flu epidemic, the

World Health Organization of the United Nations and the Center for Disease

Control Prevention (CDC) in the United States raised its pandemic alert

level to Phase 5, which signifies that a “pandemic is imminent.”
While experts believed that the recent outbreak is not as fatal as previous

epidemics, such as the SARS virus, health officials believe that the number

of cases could go up as the new flu is expected to make its way throughout

the United States.

The new swine influenza strain is apparently a new variant of four strains

of influenza A virus subtype H1N1. According to the Center for Disease

Control and Prevention, one of the strain is endemic in humans and birds

and a couple are endemic in pigs.

However, according to scientists the 2009 H1N1 outbreak is of swine origin

which is associated with the virus isolated in North America in 1998. To

hasten understanding of the current outbreak as well as in coming up with a

vaccine, scientists from Canada have completed the full genetic sequencing

of the H1N1 virus.

The new strain of H1N1 has become widespread in Mexico and the United

States with confirmed cases in 18 countries and suspected cases in 42

others. Travelers have been warned not to travel to affected countries such

as Iceland, Singapore, Thailand, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, to name

a few.

In addition, warnings have also been issued warnings to visitors of

countries affected by the outbreak. It is advisable for visitors to see the

doctor right away if they experience flu-like symptoms.
In Mexico, schools, universities, and all public events were suspended from

April 24 to May 6, 2009. In the United States, over 400 schools were closed

as of May 3, 2009, which included schools in Texas and about 250,000

confirmed or probable cases.

Dr. Keiji Fukuda, who is the Assistant Director-General for Health Securiy

and Environment of the World Health Organization confirmed that efforts to

control the outbreak is already too late and should now focus on lessening

the effects of the virus. He also clarified that closing borders or

limiting travel to infected areas will do little in stopping the spread of

the H1N1 virus.

On April 28, 2009, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggested

that as much as possible, people should avoid non-important travel to

Mexico.

According to Dr. Ira Longini, who is an expert in the mathematics and

statistics of epidemics, staying at home, seeking medical care, closing

public venues, and making anti-flu medicines accessible can help reduce the

sickness by almost two-thirds.

Finally, according to Dr. Longini, the focus of efforts is to slow

transmission until there is a vaccine that can be developed and made

available for controlling swine flu outbreaks.

According to throat cultures obtained from sick soldiers, each of the patients were infected by “swine-like flu virus” which have been unknown to humans since 1930. It was believed that the same virus was also responsible for the worst flu pandemic in the United States in 1918-1919 which led to the death of half a million Americans.

To many people, the discovery of the 1976 was more of a debacle than a victory because after only 10 weeks of implementation, vaccination efforts came to a premature close as the program led to complications which were associated to the shots.

After the death of Private David Lewis after participating in a forced five-mile march the night before his demise, Dr. David Sencer and his colleagues attributed the death to strains of swine-like flu virus. Upon the advice of specialists across the United States, Dr. Sencer called on then President Gerald Ford to launch a nationwide mass inoculation.

President Ford and the US Congress heeded the call and in October implemented the $137-million National Inoculation Program. However, after only several days of implementation, there were reports that the vaccine being used for the program made the patients prone to Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare neurological disorder which results to temporary paralysis but could be risky.

Prior to its premature end in December 1976, the vaccine was administered to over 40 million Americans comprising almost 25% of the population.  From the over 500 people who experienced Guillain-Barre Syndrome after vaccine administration, 25 people died. As a result, the Federal Government paid millions worth of damages to the families of the victims.
 
Meanwhile, the epidemic which some experts predicted would affect 50 to 60 million Americans during that time never happened. According to the Center for Disease Control, there were only 200 confirmed cases and one death.

It is understandable why the current H1N1 outbreak has been a source of anxiety for the public who recalls the 1976 event. It serves as a lesson for the government and health officials who needs to make a decision on the current swine flu in the days and weeks to come.

Dr. David Sencer, who is now retired and resides in Atlanta, believes that the 1976 debacle brought good things as well as bad. The belief that the 1918-19 flu epidemic resulted from swine-like virus partly contributed to the 1976 setback.
 
Although current studies have shown that the cause of the epidemic was bird flu, it did not ease the current anxiety prevailing in the public. The 1918-19 epidemic led to the death of 500,000 people in the United States and more than 50 million worldwide.

In Mexico, where the 2009 swine flu outbreak, originated, 22 people have died from the most recent outbreak. Government officials have been under fire for the way they have handled the situation. However, with such a mystery surrounding the threat, Dr. Peter Katona, who is an authority on infectious disease from UCLA, believes that people have failed to understand the challenges posed by such problem.

virus can kill the human race.  This infection is a worldwide virus

outbreak.  A flu deadly disease occurs when a new influenza virus emerges

for which people have little or no immunity and for which there is no

vaccine.  Those whom their hospitals are more than 10 miles from their

community can easily infected with the Swine Flu.

The disease spreads easily person-to-person, and can be cause with serious

illness, and can spread out across the country and even worldwide in a very

short span of time.  An influenza pandemic may be caused by either swine

(pig) or avian (bird) flu viruses.

Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans.  But, randomly, the human

race got infected with Swine flu.  Most frequently, these cases occur in

persons with direct exposure to pigs (example: owner and or workers in the

swine backyard or industry or even the children near pigs at a fair).

Human-to-human transmission of Swine flu can also occur.  This is thought

to happen in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly

through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus to

an uninfected individual will be infected also.  People may also become

infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then they touch

their mouth or nose.

Some think that swine flu can also get from foods we eat.  Take note that

influenza viruses are not transmitted by food.  You cannot get the

influenza virus by means of eating pork or pork products.  Eating properly

handled and cooked pork is safe.  Proper cooking of pork or pork products

with an internal temperature of 160°F will kill the swine flu virus as it

does with other bacteria and viruses.

Fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, runny nose, sore throat, nausea,

vomiting, diarrhea and coughing are some of the following symptoms of swine

flu in people.

In diagnosing influenza infection, a respiratory specimen would generally

need to be collected within the first 3 to 4 days of illness (when an

infected person is most likely to be contagious).  However, some persons,

especially children, may be infectious for 10 days or longer.

If you get sick, there are two antiviral drugs (Tamiflu and Relenza)

available with prescription can make your illness milder and make you feel

better faster.  They may also prevent serious influenza complications.  In

treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started as soon after getting sick

as possible, and might not work if started more than 2 days after illness

starts.

There are a number of things that you can do to prepare yourself and those

around you for a flu pandemic.  It is important to think about the

challenges that you might face, particularly if an epidemic is rigorous.

The effects of a pandemic can be lessened if preparation is made ahead of

time.  Planning and preparation information and checklists are being

prepared for various sectors of society, including information for

individuals and families.

Different agencies are providing funding, advice, and other support from

different rich nations to every country to assist with Swine Flu epidemic

planning and preparation.  Reading articles like this can help you plan

against the spreading of the Swine Flu.