Swine FluJust another Totalaccessnet.com Blogs weblog

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.

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.

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.

Some complications among pregnant women as the Swine Flu continue to spread

across the country, and soon to the world, and that this high-risk group

needs to take antivirals as soon as infection is suspected.  Just like what

happen to a pregnant woman in Texas who suffers and died of Swine Flu

infection.  Medical officials believe that pregnant women are at higher

risk of complications of influenza, whether it’s the seasonal influenza or

pandemics of the past.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigates twenty

cases of pregnant women with the swine flu, most of them experienced

complications.  Complications can include pneumonia, dehydration and

premature birth.  It is very important that doctors who are caring for

pregnant women they suspect may have influenza, that they issue prompt

treatment with antiviral medicines – the Tamiflu and the Relenza.  Doctors

can be hesitant to take care of pregnant women with antiviral drugs and

pregnant women may be disinclined to take them out of fear that they may

pose a risk during pregnancy.

The benefits of using the antiviral drugs to treat influenza in a pregnant

woman outweigh the theoretical concerns about the drugs strongly say by the

medical experts who have looked into this situation.  Of the three

swine-flu related deaths in the United States, one involved a 33-year-old

pregnant woman from Texas who had other health problems before she was

infected with the virus.

From the undetermined source that only one out of three Americans would get

Swine Flu vaccine.  So, it means the vaccine manufacturers have no enough

capability to do more drugs against the outbreak.
There are many people who become ill don’t seek medical attention and are

never tested for this strain of flu especially if they only knew that they

only have simple kind of flu.

In other news that we’ve read about the number of Swine Flu cases from

hospital records doesn’t match with the real numbers suspected because they

declined to seek medical attention.

The report also suggested that the true number of – largely unreported –

swine flu infections in Mexico, the outbreak’s epicenter, possibly had

already reached 32,000 cases and approximately 1% of them are pregnant

women too.  The World Health Organization’s official tally for Mexico stood

at 2,059 confirmed human infections, including 56 deaths.

The United States has now surpassed Mexico – believed to be the source of

the outbreak – as the country most affected by the epidemic, according to

WHO statistics.  The agency reported that there are 6,497 confirmed cases

of swine flu in 33 countries, with Canada, Spain and the United Kingdom

having the most cases outside of the United States and Mexico.

In the meantime, back in Mexico, federal health officials said that the

worst seemed to be over despite more deaths, toll rose to 58 deaths and

2,282 confirmed cases of swine flu – a rise of two deaths and 223 more

cases. 

World Health Organization expert expressed support for the more selective

use of antiviral medicines such as Tamiflu and Relenza against Swine Flu

even though the pregnant women and the doctors of the pregnant women are

declining the use of antiviral drugs.  According to health officials that

there are some European countries aggressively take antiviral drugs

throughout their population to save themselves. 

While countries like the United States and Mexico, they are trying to save

their patients with underlying conditions and also the other groups at

risk, such as pregnant women and be treated.  Swiss drug maker Roche

Holding AG offered a charitable work to donate some of their Tamiflu

supplies to the WHO enough for nearly 6 million people.

Responsible for binding the virus to host cells is called the HA

(hemagglutinin) peplomer while the virus that allows to break its bonds to

the host cell once it is ready to move on is called the NA (neuraminidase)

peplomer.  This type is also called H1N1 Flu or well-known as Swine Flu. 

Swine flu is a type of virus infected from pigs.  Humans do not normally

get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen.

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).

The virus is contagious and can spread from human to human.  Symptoms of

swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu such

as cough, fever, body aches, sore throat, chills, fatigue and headache.
Swine Flu is a respiratory track infection from the hogs.  This kind of

virus can kill the human race just like what happen to a pregnant woman and

another individual in Texas with also reported death in Washington.  This

infection is a worldwide virus outbreak that started in Mexico and

eventually spread from one country to another continent including China.

A flu deadly disease occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which

people have little or no immunity at all and those whom their hospitals are

more than 10 to 20 miles from their community can easily infected with the

Swine Flu.  The transmission of human to human of Swine flu can also be

done. 

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.  The disease spreads easily by human

to human transmission and can be cause with serious sickness, and can

spread to other individuals in your community, spread out across the

country and even worldwide in a very short period of time. 

A big NO-NO to some individuals who think that swine flu can also get from

foods we eat.  Take note that influenza viruses cannot be transmitted by

food by means of eating pork or pork products.  Eating properly handled and

properly cooked pork is safe. 

Swine Flu can be monitor if you consult to your health officer directly if

you are not feeling well for more than 24 hours especially if you have a

hog race industry in your backyard.  They will advice you on how to plan,

prepare and prevent the Swine Flu virus that spread out worldwide.

Swine flu or influenza is a condition caused by strains of subtypes of

Influenza A virus called H1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2, and H3N3. These viruses

are common in pigs located in midwestern United States, Canada, South

America, Mexico, Mainland China, Japan, Taiwan, Europe, and other Eastern

Asian countries.

Transmission of influenza virus from swine to humans is relatively uncommon

and does not always result to human influenza but often leads to production

of antibodies in the blood. When properly cooked, pig meat does not have

the potential of passing the virus. Transmission that leads to human

influenza is called zoonotic swine flu.

People who work with pigs, particularly those with direct exposure, are at

greater risk of being infected with swine flu. Towards the middle of the

20th century, identification of influenza subtypes became likely paving the

way for an accurate diagnosis of transmission to humans. Since then, 50

infections have been confirmed and recorded.

It is rare for these strains of swine flu to be transmitted from one human

to another. In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to common

influenza as well as influenza-like illness such as chills, sore throat,

fever, coughing, muscular pains, severe headache, and general discomfort.
The 2009 swine flu outbreak in humans was caused by a new strain of

influenza A virus subtype H1N1 which have genes that closely resemble swine

influenza. The root of this new strain is not known. According to the World

Health Organization for Animal Health, this new strain has not been

isolated in pigs. It is capable of human-to-human transmission and

manifests the normal symptoms of influenza.

Swine can be infected with human influenza such as the case of the 1918 flu

pandemic and the 2009 flu outbreak. Swine flu was first proposed as a

disease associated with humans during the 1918 flu pandemic. During that

time, pigs became simultaneously sick with humans.

Influenza virus as a cause of disease in pigs was first identified in 1930.

For the next six decades, strains of swine influenza became almost

exclusively H1N1. From 1997 to 2002, new strains of three varied subtypes

and 5 different genotypes were identified as the cause of influenza among

pigs in North America. 

From 1997-1998, H3N2 strains developed. They included genes acquired

through reassortment of human, avian, and swine viruses and have been a

principal cause of wine influenza in North America. Reassortment between

H1N1 and H3N2 resulted to the development of H1N2. In Canada, a strain of

H4N6 resulted from the reassortment of avian and swine flu but was isolated

on a single farm. 

The H1N1 variant of swine flu is one of the descendants of the strain that

brought about the 1918 flu pandemic. While persisting in pigs, the

descendants of the 1918 virus have also been transmitted throughout the

20th century which resulted to the usual seasonal influenza outbreaks.
It is interesting to note that direct infection from pigs to humans is

rare, with only 12 confirmed cases in the United States since 2005.

However, since the influenza strains remain in the pigs after they have

disappeared in the human population can make these pigs a reservoir where

the influenza virus could survive and later on transmitted to humans as

soon as their immunity to the strain is no longe effective.

Swine flu has been recorded as zoonosis in humans several times, oftentimes

with limited distribution and rarely with massive distribution. Swine

outbreaks are common and can lead to significant economic losses in the

industry, mainly leading to stunting and expanded market time. Swine

influneza, for instance, the British meat industry has experienced £65

million of losses annually.

A pandemic second quarter of 2009 outbreak of influenza A (H1N1) virus is a

new strain of influenza virus identified commonly referred to as Swine Flu

confirmed cases topped almost 6,000 individuals, as Belgium became the

latest European nation to be hit by the influenza A(H1N1) virus.  World

Health Organization (WHO) officials said the number of cases of influenza

A(H1N1) stood at around 6,000 and nearly 7,000 in more than 30 countries,

with more than 60 people having died from the disease. 

Cases were first discovered in the U.S. and officials soon suspected a link

between those incidents and an earlier outbreak of late-season flu cases in

Mexico.  In less than a week hundreds of suspected cases, some of them

serious, were discovered in Mexico.  Soon thereafter, the WHO along with

the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expressed concern that

the A(H1N1) could become a worldwide flu pandemic, and WHO then raised its

pandemic disease alert level to “Phase 5″ out of the six maximum, as a

“signal that a pandemic is at about to happen level”.

More than three thousand cases of infections including three deaths was the

recorded highest number of A(H1N1) by the United States compared to Mexico

where only more than two thousand reported cases of infection including 60

deaths were confirmed.  The WHO said 389 people were also confirmed with

the virus – and one person had died – in Canada who happens to be with the

19-year-old Chinese career that brings in to China a spread out.  Two other

cases have been confirmed in Hong Kong.  Authorities there said they had

quarantined six people who traveled with the second case, a 24-year-old

man, by plane from San Francisco.  A further 45 people who sat near him on

his journey had already left Hong Kong, they said. 

China, in the meantime, stepped up the search for people who came into

contact with the mainland’s two confirmed Swine Flu patients.  A

30-year-old man was confirmed to have the virus in the southwestern city of

Chengdu.  He had been in the United States before his homecoming to China. 

Plane (Air Canada flight to Beijing) and train (for Shandong Province with

20 people on board) travelers with a 5 meter contact with a 19-year-old

student (his surname is Lu: second confirmed victim) are being haunted by

Chinese Authorities in Beijing and Eastern Shandong province.

He’s not feeling well, a couple of days after his arrival in Beijing but

still continue to travel by train with a fever, sore throat and a headache.

 They believed that virus highlighted in China and Hong Kong could be a mix

of bird and human flu which came together in pigs.

Belgium confirmed its first case of Swine Flu in a 28-year-old man who also

had been in the United States.  Jose Angel Cordova (Health Minister of

Mexico) moved to reassure tourists, saying that the country’s beaches and

resorts – an important source of foreign income — were safe for visitors. 

“There’s no risk to tourists,” he said, noting that most of the flu cases

detected in holiday hotspots like Cancun and Acapulco dated back nearly two

weeks.

The Swine Flu outbreak was expected to cost Mexico’s economy of more than 2

billion dollars – or about 0.3 percent of gross domestic product.

Have you been watching the news and/or read your daily broadsheets at all

recently?  If so, you’ve probably heard the term “Swine Flu” bouncing

around a lot.  While you are in the pigs fair or your hog race backyard and

you were ever unlucky enough to be sneezed on by a sick pig, would you

catch its flu? Not necessarily — it takes more than simply breathing in a

pig’s germs (just like kissing his messy and slimy nose) for you to get

sick. 

While most people come down with the normal human flu at some point, it’s

not really a danger to anyone but the very young (from 0 month to 7 years

old) and the very old (from 60 to 90 years old).  Fortunately, the human

immune system is there to recognize and neutralize the effects of the

virus.  Each year, the virus mutates just slightly and most of the

population is once again susceptible to the disease.  This is why a new

vaccine must be created regularly to reflect the most recent influenza

mutants out in the environment. 

When the human flu virus mutates its external proteins, the body’s defenses

still recognize them and eventually mount a response (the period of

sickness occurs while the body is developing that response).  If this

failed to happen, you would eventually succumb to the virus and you will

die.

If a people’s immune system might not immediately stop a new human

influenza infection, it does recognize that new mutant and begin building a

response.  Avian and swine peplomers, on the other hand, are not easily

recognized by the human system because our race did not include pressure

from those particular viruses.  The animal influenza has been able to

mutate enough to cross the species bridge and infect humans as well as

humans we have come into a close contact with the animals (e.g. as a hog

racer, we care for them and eventually sold out to the market for more

extra income) that carry these viruses.

In the past this would not have been a worldwide epidemic.  An infected

village might just die out in isolation (the nearest hospital was more than

10 miles away from the village).  Now it’s different: if a traveler can

become infected from a hog race backyard in one region and fly thousands of

miles to another, long before they experience symptoms of possible flu.

So what’s the fall away message from all of this? Can we do anything?  Well

as individuals it’s wise to go through the same sanitary practices as we

might during flu season.  We must be aware if our pigs catch flu during the

season so that we put them instantly in a quarantine area that no other

individual will take care of your pigs without protective suits.  And

traveling to places which have reported Swine Flu cases probably isn’t a

great idea. 

There are people as you observe in different agencies and they have spent

their whole lives preparing for just these kinds of epidemics and they are

currently working very hard to provide the public with the best information

and advice about the Swine Flu.

They are only there waiting for your attention and willingness to diagnose

if you suspected yourself a possible Swine Flu virus.  They are there to

help you live longer.

According to the World Health Organization, efforts for developing a swine

flu vaccine has been ongoing since the first human case of the virus has

been confirmed. Estimates place the initial doses of the vaccine will be

administered in 5 to 6 months time.

While people diagnosed with H1N1 virus seems to be headed for recovery,

there have been deaths recorded. Aside from that, receiving vaccines for

this virus is important particularly the elderly and individuals with a

weak immune system, since they are prone to complications such as

pneumonia.

Likewise, the vaccine will serve as protection in case the condition

persists particularly during the winter months which is the time when

influenza is at its peak.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), although they are still

incomplete, current evidence shows that seasonal influenza vaccines will

provide minimal or no protection against swine flu. Every year, a new batch

of flu vaccine is developed and matched with strains that the WHO

determines will most probably circulate in the winter months, which happens

to be the peak season for influenza outbreaks.

Influenza virus comes in various strains which contains different proteins

on their surfaces. The body’s immune system can only fight and destroy a

virus if they are able to recognize these proteins. It is worth noting that

antibodies that recognize one strain may not detect other strains.
Existing vaccines may only offer some protection against swine influenza if

the proteins on its surface are identical to strains used to develop

previous vaccines. According to the NIBSC, they are trying to determine if

the swine flu virus, which is an H1N1 strain of type A influenza, as well

as previous H1N1 vaccines match current vaccines.

The preparation of a vaccine commences after a virus develops as they

provide the starting point for the production of the vaccine. As such,

there is always a time delay while a vaccine is being developed.

Preparation of a vaccine involves several steps so it would take several

months before a vaccine becomes available.

According to WHO estimates, the virus needed for producing the vaccine will

be accessible to vaccine manufacturers by the middle of May while the

initial dose for a new vaccine would be ready within 5 to 6 months after

that. Waiting time would be much longer if the growth of the vaccine

proceeds rapidly.

Vaccination plays a crucial role in the prevention and reduction of the

effects of serious conditions. Unfortunately, they are not entirely

effective and could lose its effectiveness if the virus mutates.
Existing flu vaccines are valid for about one year and are 70% – 80%

effective against transmission with strains of influenza virus that are

identical to strains used in the production of vaccines.

The WHO believes that it is too early to tell how the A(H1N1) virus would

change. It is closely monitoring any changes in the virus and this would

help countries quickly react to any important changes that the virus may

show.

Vaccines help the body combat certain diseases in case an individual

becomes afflicted with the illness in the future. On the other hand, an

antiviral drug is used on people who is already infected with a virus.

Although they work in various ways, they generally work to prevent the

virus from spreading to different cells in the body.

Swine flu vaccines are administered prior to exposure to a virus so they

would be protected from that agent. Antivirals only work if administered

within a certain period of time before or after they are exposed to the

virus.