By now you’ve all heard of the swine flu outbreak that has started to spread around the world. To date there have only been a handful of cases in the United States and all have resolved without the use of any medication; however, there have been a few hundred cases in Mexico that unfortunately have been deadly. As seen in previous deadly outbreaks and what makes this swine flu even more ominous is that those killed ranged in ages from 20-50, a typically healthy age group. Also, the World Health Organization (WHO) recently raised its worldwide “alert level,” which it has not done since the Hong Kong pandemic in 1968, where nearly one million people died. Is this recent swine flu something that you need to be worried about? How can you protect yourself and your family?

Swine Flu vs. Seasonal Flu

Normally swine flu, as the name implies, only affects pigs. This virus, however, it seems has recently changed from its original form and therefore has “jumped” from pigs to humans. What makes this virus, named H1N1, particularly different and potentially dangerous is that it can spread from human to human.

Seasonal flu occurs every year, usually during the “cold and flu season” that usually lasts from December to March. The 2008-2009 flu season was a mild one, but like each year, it is estimated that between 250,000 to 500,000 people died from seasonal flu. What is different and worries health officials about H1N1 is that it seems to spread from human to human more quickly and easily than typical seasonal flu and because this swine flu mutated so quickly, there is no vaccine for it.

What to Watch Out for

Symptoms of swine flu are similar to regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. Also, if you or someone you know have these symptoms and have traveled to San Diego County or Imperial County, California or San Antonio, Texas within 7 days prior to the illness onset, there is reason for concern. If you have any of these symptoms, it’s a good idea to get checked by your doctor, where a nasal respiratory swab will help confirm or deny a diagnosis.

Prevention Possible

Current public health officials have recommended healthy hygiene practices to avoid the spread of swine flu. Washing of hands, getting plenty of sleep, drinking plenty of fluids and eating healthy foods are great places to start. Obviously, avoiding close contact with anyone who is sick is a no-brainer. Some research suggests that zinc and selenium might improve your body’s natural antibody response to the flu while the use of a Neti pot (nasal irrigation) prevents the virus from “setting up shop” in the nasal passages and sinuses.
Treatment After Infection?

Luckily there are plenty of things we can do to help those who unfortunately become ill. Conventionally, we know that H1N1 can be controlled with Tamiflu and/or Relenza. In addition, high doses of vitamin C, typically given intravenously, along with hydrogen peroxide can help get the virus under control.

It is yet to be determined if this current outbreak of swine flu will be as dangerous as some health officials are predicting. In the mean time, taking the appropriate measures to protect yourself and your family with a healthy dose of prevention is a great place to start.

Introduction

Swine Flu is close to home. It is transmitted to the mouth, eyes, and nose. It is worse in Mexico, but why? Nobody knows.  Swine flu may be a warning of the dangers of factory farming. For sure, it is the most quickly discovered and shared potential pandemic that we’ve ever seen.

There is no reason to panic some say. I am not so sure. We will find out soon enough. Injecting a dose of sanity into your day’s news and current events may help. Typically this virus is spread between pigs and is a highly contagious acute respiratory disease. This flu is considered an endemic in the United States, and outbreaks in pigs have also been reported elsewhere in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, and parts of eastern Asia.

Flu

Flu symptoms are like cold symptoms along with fever, body aches, and pains.  At the first sign of a fever, see your doctor. If you have been to Mexico recently and are feeling ill, see your doctor right away. The flu naturally goes from species to species.  Again, the flu is generally transmitted through the respiratory tract.

Swine

Swine flu occurred in the young healthy military that were vaccinated and then exposed to toxic chemicals as part of their “training”. This flu strain causes the same symptoms as the general flu, and may be difficult to distinguish from other strains of flu and respiratory illnesses.  Swine influenza is a form of the virus that normally infects pigs but this flu strain has entered a new phase as death toll climbs in Mexico, US cases nearly doubled in the last 24 hours.

April News In Mexico

Mexican President Felipe Calderon declared an emergency in his country’s swine flu outbreak, giving him powers to order quarantines and suspend public events.

Mexico

Here is an interesting fact: Mexico is where the Spanish flu originated, however the Mexican officials are smart enough to shut down high risk areas. In fact, Mexico and USA are going through tough times, both countries in real bad condition, USA because of credit-crunch and Mexico because of drug-violence.

Mexico’s president assumed new powers Saturday to isolate people infected with a deadly swine flu strain as authorities struggled to contain an outbreak that world health officials warned could become a global epidemic.

Mexico’s minister of health, Jose Angel Cordova told the press that the virus in Mexico City mutated from pigs and transferred to humans, but researchers found that the virus is actually a unique genetic mix of swine, human and avian flu viruses, which is perhaps why the human immune system appears to be so unprepared to fight it off.

Mexico’s aloof but strong-willed President Felipe Calderon has reassured Mexicans that there are ample stocks of antiviral medicine to treat the hundreds infected with this flu across the country.

Mexico has participated in high-level international drills to prepare for pandemics, but the government has been slow to update the world on the flu death toll and not given a clear message to reassure people at home and abroad, analysts said.  The country canceled school at all levels nationwide until May 6, and the Mexico City government said it was considering a complete shutdown, including all public transportation, if the death toll keeps rising.

A Swine Flu virus has health officials around the world working to contain the growing outbreak. One out of every five residents of Mexico’s most populous city wore masks to protect themselves against the virus as Mexico City seems to be the epicenter of the outbreak. As many as 103 deaths have been attributed to the swine flu so far with many more feared to be on the horizon. The health department of Mexico said an additional 1,614 reported cases have been documented.

So far, however, only 18 of the deaths in Mexico have been confirmed by laboratory tests to be from swine flu virus and reported to the World Health Organization as such.

In the US preparations have been upgraded for a possible swine flu virus outbreak after 20 cases were reported, also the first cases of the virus was reported in Canada on Sunday — six mild cases.

Swine flu or Swine Influenza is a contagious respiratory sickness that is normally only found in pigs. It is caused by a type-A influenza virus. Outbreaks in pigs occur year-round. The current strain is a new variation of an H1N1 virus, which is a mix of human and animal versions.

Normaly the swine flu virus only spreads from animal to person containing the spread but When the flu spreads person-to-person, it can continue to mutate, making it harder to combat because people have no natural immunity.

The symptoms are similar to the common flu. They include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, coughing, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Learn more about swine flu and how to treat it in the link below.

The swine flu virus spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes around another person. People can become infected by touching something with the flu virus on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes.

Calling it a “public health emergency of international concern” the World Health Organization (WHO) is very concerned. The WHO also says a public health emergency is an occurrence or imminent threat of illness or health conditions caused by bioterrorism, epidemic or pandemic disease, or highly fatal infectious agents or toxins that pose serious risk to a significant number of people.

Swine Flu Virus Protection?

Advice of health experts is to follow common-sense instructions: Wash your hands, stay home if you’re sick and listen to your local health authorities. Advice from the CDC about the situation is, “Very frequent hand-washing is something that we talk about time and time again and that is an effective way to reduce transmission of disease,”. They also advise, “If you’re sick, it’s very important that people stay at home. If your children are sick, have a fever and flu-like illness, they shouldn’t go to school. And if you’re ill, you shouldn’t get on an airplane or another public transport to travel. Those things are part of personal responsibility in trying to reduce the impact. ”

Swine Flu Symptoms

It is also noted that swine flu symptoms are relatively general and nonspecific. “So many different things can cause these symptoms. it is a dilemma,” says one doctor interviewed by CNN. “It is a challenge that we are wrestling with. There is not a perfect test right now to let a doctor know that a person has the Swine Flu.” It has been noted that most individuals with Swine Flu had an early on set of fever. Also it was common to see dizziness, body aches and vomiting in addition to the common sneezing, headache and other cold symptoms.

If you become sick and notice early onset of body aches, vomiting and dizziness you should consult with your doctor immediately. Although it is very unlikely that you have the Swine Flu virus, you should get medical confirmation just to be safe.

This Swine Flu virus outbreak could be a very dangerous epidemic or just another bump in the road. Health officials are still trying to figure out where exactly the virus originated, how transmissible it is and why it is mild in some cases and deadlier in others. In the mean time. Wash your hands, use common sense and be on a heightened alert to signs and symptoms of the Swine Flu virus. See you doctor if any unusual flu like symptoms occur.