Wendy Stenberg-Tendys asked:


The threat of a pandemic is sweeping the world, through a new strain of swine flu. Many deaths have been recorded in Mexico. Several other countries also have suspect cases reported, from as far apart as France, Hong Kong, Canada, Israel and New Zealand.

Caused by type A influenza Swine flu, is a respiratory disease. Studies have shown that the swine flu H1N1 is common throughout pig populations worldwide, with 25% of all animals displaying antibody evidence of having the disease.

Swine flu viruses do not usually affect human beings. However, the current swine flu has a deadly mixture of a gene segment from bird flu, a segment from human flu, plus two genes from pig flu. Pigs are known to be the world’s best ‘mixing bowls’. This totally unknown virus is causing extreme concern, as humans have no immunity to the disease.

Swine flu can’t be contacted through eating pork products, however human-to-human infections are happening, without the victims having any contact with infected animals.

Here are simple precautions you need to use to provide self-protection against the threatened pandemic:

Make sure you cover your nose and mouth if you sneeze or cough. Ensure you get rid of the tissue in the rubbish can after you use it. Keep a mask handy in case anyone sneezes or coughs around you.

Just one sneeze thrusts 100,000 droplets into the air at around 90 mph, landing on everything around you. British researchers have found that in a subway train during rush hour, as many as 10% of all commuters can come in contact with the spray and residue from just one sneeze. 150 commuters may become ill from one uncovered sneeze, or cough. The rush of air from a cough travels at speeds of nearly 600 mph.

Always wash your hands frequently, for up to 20 seconds, with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Always wash your hands thoroughly prior to eating and whenever possible do not eat with your hands.

It is estimated over 80% of all infections are spread by hands. If you are not able to wash your hands, resort to using hand-sanitizers with 60% alcohol content. These are available in handy pocket size containers.

Attempt to avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth and definitely avoid kissing on the cheeks.

Germs are passed more quickly that way than any other method of transmission.

Try to stay away from sick people. Isolation and keeping your distance are your most efficient protective measures. If you get sick, stay home from work or school and limit contact with other people, to keep them from becoming infected. Keep aware and recognize any abnormal symptoms. If you are in doubt, go and seek professional advice. Make sure you eat well, be careful of your sleep habits and take regular exercise. Increase your daily dose of vitamin C and practice good hygiene.

Swine flu can be treated. Though it is resistant to two of the four drugs approved for treating flu, two new arrivals, Tamiflu and Relenza have proven to be successful.

Mexico houses hundreds of industrial-scale hog facilities, known as ‘confined animal feeding operations’, where pigs are packed tightly in rows. Thousands of pigs are confined to indoor pens and grain-fed for market. Breeding sows are held in small metal crates where they spend the major part of their lives pregnant, or feeding a new litter of piglets. Up until now, Mexican hog workers, infected with swine flu, have rarely been the cause of infecting other humans, except for close family members.



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Arunraj V.S. asked:


Swine Flu is a respiratory disease in pigs triggered by a virus called H1N1. The new strain of H1N1 is a deadly combination of viruses from pigs, birds and humans. They symptoms of Swine Flu are sudden fever, coughing, extreme exhaustion and muscle aches. There is also diarrhea and vomiting more than normal flu.

Risk factors: Medical experts say that people, who are exposed areas where pigs flock are at risk of contracting the virus. The strains of Swine flu rarely pass on from humans to humans. In rare cases, the virus mutates into a form that can move from one person to another. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak has apparently undergone such a mutation and may stay like that for a longer period of time.

Can Swine flu be prevented or cured? There is no vaccine which can prevent swine flu. Medicines like Tamiflu and Relenza can be effective, if taken in the early stages of the disease.

Is it safe to eat pork? Swine Flu is not caused by eating pork or its products including salami, ham and sausages. However, it is a good practice to cook pork over 70 degrees C, which kills the virus.

Why is it called swine flu? The virus is called swine flu because one of its surface proteins is similar to viruses that usually infect pigs. Pork industry in the US are putting pressure on the officials to change the name of the disease, because no pig as such have been found infected with this particular illness which has spread among humans.



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Hayden Eck asked:


On the odd occasion, this virus undergoes mutations to form a new virus strain that is able to pass from human to another with relative ease. Therefore, it has been concluded that the strain that is responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak, has undergone such a mutation.

What is Swine Influenza?

Swine influenza virus, endemic to pig populations, is said to be caused by the Orthomyxo viruses. Strains of the swine flu virus, isolated to date, have been classified as a subtype of the genus influenza virus A. The new strain is an obvious reassortment of several strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, which include a strain that is endemic in humans and two strains that are endemic in pigs, as well as an avian influenza virus. Reassortment is common feature in influenza viruses; this is because of the structure of their genome. However, this particular reassortment is consistent with its ability to transmit the mutated virus from pigs to humans. In the current scenario, the outbreak of this disease has been termed as the “public health emergency of international concern,” by the World Health Organization. Moreover, most concerned officials lack any knowledge with regard to its clinical features, epidemiology, and virology as well as the appropriate responses needed as a result. All the concerned government health agencies around the world are monitoring the situation closely. Swine flu is spread amongst humans on contact. The spread of the 2009 swine flu outbreak owes its existence to a new strain of H1N1 influenza virus, which was first detected in March 2009 by public health officials. There are serious concerns expressed about this novel strain because it has had a relatively high mortality rate in Mexico, and now has the potential to become a full fledged flu pandemic.

How is swine flu prevented?

Recommendations to prevent infection by the virus consist of the standard personal precautions against influenza. This includes:

Frequent washing of hands with soap and water or with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer Avoid touching the mouth, nose or eyes with the hands unless they have been washed first Cough into a tissue and throw it in the garbage immediately or if bare hands are used to cover the nose and mouth then the hands must be washed immediately.

Many countries have also confirmed that all the inbound international passengers will be screened. They will ask each passenger which countries they have visited as well as feel or look for particularly unwell passengers. Furthermore, CDC has also recommended the use of Tamiflu and Relenza for both treatment and prevention of this new strain. Some physicians also recommend the use of masks in public places as this decrease the likelihood of transmission of the virus when around an infected person. Swine flu can be further prevented by:

Knowing all the signs of swine flu which include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue, diarrhoea and vomiting. Make sure you are in good health; get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Practice good hygiene; while sneezing place a disposable tissue over your mouth, throw the tissue away after use and wash your hands regularly after blowing your nose/sneezing and before you eat. Don’t share utensils or drinks.

How are swine influenza symptoms recognised?

The symptoms of H1N1 flu in people are expected to be similar to the symptoms of regular human seasonal influenza and include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Some people with swine flu also have reported runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Anyone with symptoms of influenza should call their healthcare provider. In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness. However, the strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak is normally known to cause only mild symptoms and the infected person recovers fully in a few days.

Are there ways to reduce the spread of this disease?

The flu virus is normally thought to spread from person to person contact in respiratory droplets of coughs and sneezes. This happens when droplets from cough or sneezes are propelled through the air and deposited on the mouth or nose of uninfected people nearby. Moreover, it could also spread when a person touches respiratory droplets on another person or an object and then touches their own mouth or nose before washing the hands. Taking the following measures will surely arrest it from spreading to healthy humans. For this you must:

Check with your health care provider about any special care that you might need, especially if you are pregnant or have health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, asthma, or emphysema Check about all your antiviral medications Stay at home for 7 days after the start of illness Drink clear fluids to keep yourself hydrated Cover up when coughing or sneezing; was your hands with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub Avoid close contact with infected people When going out in public places always wear a mask Keep the sick person away from other people as much as possible Maintain good ventilation in shared household areas Use antivirals to prevent the flu after checking with your healthcare provider

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dirtonmylens asked:

million people could die. He estimated there was a 40% chance that the new virus was man-made, and was released either accidentally or intentionally. Appearing in the latter half of the show, Alex Jones and Stephen Quayle both agreed the new swine virus was not natural. It’s a “genetically altered bioweapon,” possibly being “beta-tested in the field” to target specific races, Quayle contended. Jones cited experts in the field, pointing toward the virus being designed, and he noted how unusual …

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dirtonmylens asked:

million people could die. He estimated there was a 40% chance that the new virus was man-made, and was released either accidentally or intentionally. Appearing in the latter half of the show, Alex Jones and Stephen Quayle both agreed the new swine virus was not natural. It’s a “genetically altered bioweapon,” possibly being “beta-tested in the field” to target specific races, Quayle contended. Jones cited experts in the field, pointing toward the virus being designed, and he noted how unusual …

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Katt Mollar asked:


nza, commonly known as the flu, is a respiratory illness caused by viruses. There are many different types of flu, from swine flu to the most feared avian flu. This article, however, deals only with the so-called common or seasonal flu. The flu season usually starts in the fall and subsides in late spring. Because of its seasonality, the flu season differs between the Northern and the Southern hemisphere.

On the global scale, flu can affect tens of millions of people and cause 250,000 to 500,000 deaths each year. The United States CDC gives the following statistics. Yearly 5 to 20% of the population get the flu, 200,000 cases are hospitalized due to severe flu complications and 36,000 cases prove to be fatal. Annual healthcare costs approaches US$10 billion

THE FLU is caused by types A, B and C. Each type consists of different subtypes and substrains with A and B being responsible for most epidemics.

(1) Influenza A viruses are of subtypes based on two proteins on the surface of the virus: the hemagglutinin (H) and the neuraminidase (N). The current subtypes of influenza A viruses in humans are A (H1N1) and A (H3N2).

(2) Influenza B viruses do not have subtypes but can be further broken down into different strains.

(3) Influenza C seems to be relatively benign compared to the first two and is not as contagious.

Like many viruses, influenza viruses change with time producing new strains each season. This change occurs by antigenic drift or shift.

(1) Antigenic drift is slow and can lead to new strains after several seasons and is the typical change observed in influenza type B viruses but can also occur in type A.

(2) Antigenic shift happens abruptly and creates a major change that can lead to a new subtype but only occurs in type A.

The influenza viruses attack the epithelial cells lining the respiratory tract starting from the nose, throat, and down to the lungs. They do this by binding using hemagglutinin and neuraminidase proteins on the cells’ surface.

Influenza symptoms may be mild to severe to life-threatening. Symptoms can include high fever, headache, chills, sore muscles, fatigue, dry cough, red, watery eyes, sore throat and runny or stuffy nose. The so-called “tummy flu” symptoms may also occur in children, which include abdominal pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.

The flu symptoms shouldn’t be confused with the ordinary cold, which is another respiratory illness. A cold usually doesn’t cause high fever, muscle pains or stomach symptoms.

The incubation period of the flu can vary from a few days to a week. During this “asymptomatic period”, the infected person is already a carrier of the disease and is therefore highly contagious. The flu can last from a few days to less than two weeks. However, in certain cases, complications can develop which are potentially life-threatening. Some of these complications are bronchitis, pneumonia, sinusitis, and ear infections. Anybody can get the flu but those who are highly susceptible to the flu are young children, the elderly and those with existing chronic health conditions and weakened immune systems.

Flu is very contagious. Direct transmission occurs from person to person via droplets that are released when a person coughs or sneezes. Indirect transmission happens when droplets from an infected person are transferred to inanimate objects, which are then touched by another person.

Flu-like symptoms can also occur with many other diseases. It is therefore sometimes difficult for doctors to diagnose the illness. There are many laboratory tests which can confirm whether a person has the flu or not but they cost money and time and are therefore impractical. However, in times of outbreaks and epidemics, it is important to perform tests. Usually, flu cases are diagnosed based on tests performed in a few individuals within a group. If one or two persons test positive for the flu in a closed environment, then the likelihood of subsequent illnesses within the group as being flu is rather high. Samples for flu testing are usually secretions from the nose and the throat, collected either by sterile swab, nasal wash, or aspiration. There are rapid influenza tests which can give results in 30 minutes. The tests are 70% sensitive in detecting the flu and are prone to false negatives. Another alternative is the more reliable but time consuming viral culture which takes about 3 to 10 days.

Several antiviral pharmacological agents have been approved for the treatment of the flu. Because of the seasonal changes in the types and strains of influenza viruses the recommended anti-flu drugs may change. This season, Tamiflu is the choice for treatment and chemoprophylaxis of persons aged 1 year and older and Relenza is approved for treatment of persons aged 7 years and older. Currently, the CDC discourages the use of previously used anti-flu drugs such as Amantadine and Rimantadine because the current circulating strains of flu viruses are resistant to these drugs.

The ultimate preventive measure against the flu is vaccination. However, again due to the constantly changing nature of the influenza viruses, flu vaccines do not afford 100% and lifetime immunity against the flu. Each season, flu vaccines are updated by adding strains collected and identified from the previous season. Flu vaccines contain different strains of the influenza types A and B but not type C.

Based on the 2005 guidelines of the Federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), annual flu shots are recommended for children aged 6 months to 5 years old and adolescents up to 18 years old. Vaccination is also highly recommended for people in key professions which may expose them to the infection and spread it to others. These include health care professionals and those working and living in closed units such as dormitories. Flu shots are usually given prior to flu season and afford protection for about a year. However, it takes about two weeks before the protection kicks in.

Over the years, several types of flu vaccines have been developed.

(1) The intranasal vaccine is the live, attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) made from living but weakened flu viruses. LAIV is prescribed for people aged 2 to 49 years old. LAIV should not be given to pregnant women, children under 2 years old, adults above 40 years old, and chronic medical conditions including compromised immune system disorders.

(2) The inactivated vaccine, the common flu shot is made from different strains of killed flu viruses. This vaccine is recommended for children from 6 months to 18 years old as well as those older than 50 years old. In addition, people who are not qualified to receive LAIV (as listed above) are recommended to have this vaccine.

Like all pharmacological agents, flu shots can have some side effects. Most of these side effects are mild. Rare severe side effects, mainly in the form of allergic reactions have been reported.

Some inactivated flu vaccines have contained thimerosal in the past, a form of mercury used as preservatives for vaccines. In recent years, there have been concerns about the link between thimerosal and autism in children. This controversy continues although no ample scientific evidence is available to prove this link.

Perhaps the main shortcoming of the flu shot is its efficacy, which is highly dependent on how well the vaccine is matched to the circulating influenza viruses of that season. For this reason, the efficacy of the vaccine in protecting healthy adults from the flu is only 70 to 90% and even less in children and the elderly.

The Global Influenza Surveillance Network (GISN) was set up in 1952 and currently includes more than 110 laboratories in 83 countries. It has recently set up FluNet, a web-based tool for surveillance, reporting, and alert mechanisms. The European Influenza Surveillance Scheme (EISS) issues a weekly report on influenza activity in 30 countries. It collects data from a network of more than 25,000 sentinel doctors covering a total population of 498 million people in Europe. In the US, the CDC is responsible for national influenza surveillance and is dependent on reports from more than 1500 sentinel doctors.

Google Flu Trends, being the new kid on the block, claims that it can estimate flu activity up “to two weeks faster than traditional flu surveillance systems” and bases its predictions on the number of people searching for flu-related topics. Actually its data compared well with the CDC’s. Google is now working together with the CDC in flu surveillance and their work has been published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature. Google Flu Trends also presents the data in graphs, maps, and animations which are easy to comprehend by the general public.

Don’t forget the CDC’s initiative “Take 3″ Steps To Fight The Flu; take time to get a flu vaccine, take everyday preventive actions and take flu antiviral drugs if your doctor recommends them.

And if you are still unlucky and get the flu, stay home from work or school including limiting contact with others, wash your hands often with soap and water and avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.

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robert orr asked:


Everyone by now has probably seen the news stories and heard of the fatalities caused by Swine flu.

It appears that we now face a swine flu pandemic, that means that outbreaks are being seen across the world.

But what exactly is and how can we protect ourselves.

Swine flu is a form of influenza that started in pigs but can be caught by, and spread among, people.

The current outbreak, human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses has been confirmed in the US, Canada, the UK, and other countries.

Swine flu is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses. Outbreaks of swine flu happen often in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, though infections do occasionally happen. Recently, most human cases of swine influenza have been in people who were in close contact with pigs, such as farmers. In the current outbreak the virus has been spread by person-to-person contact.

This has caused concern that the outbreak could become a pandemic flu - a global outbreak of flu that spreads quickly because it is a new type of virus that few of us have any resistance to.

The normal type of flu ,usually called seasonal flu caused by an existing flu virus, is a common infection in the that usually occurs during the winter. For most people, it is an unpleasant but not life-threatening infection. People who are more at risk from it, such as older people or those weakened by illness can be given a flu vaccination.

The single most effective way to stop or slow the spread of diseases such as swine flu is to prevent the spread of germs. Wash your hands regularly with soap and water and cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze this is advice that has been given for many years by is still a very effective way to help you avoid spreading or contracting swine flu,also remember if you or a family member are ill or have the swine flu symptoms it

Is much better to stay at home away from work or school and thus reduce the risk of spreading the infection.

Its also worth noting that swine flu cannot be caught by eating pork or other pig related foodstuffs.

There is also no need for panic we do have effective treatments antiviral drugs are effective against swine flu if you are suffering flu symptoms visit your doctor or pharmacist who will be able to prescribe the correct medication.

Those most at risk are young children older people and those with underlying medical conditions.

Remember wash your hands regularly with soap and water cover your mouth if you cough or sneeze and stay away from work or school if you have flu symptoms and always seek professional medical advice.

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russell jones asked:


The words Swine Flu have become boring. Turn on the TV and it is there on all the news channels, open a newspaper and the column inches are thick. There can be no doubting the seriousness of the disease but would it be fair to assume we are in over kill mode?

The concern for the professionals is always the migration of virus from animal to man, understandably so.

The way bacteria mutate makes control difficult if not impossible, this though is always the case. The worry for you and I is that our scientists identify something that spreads like wild-fire and has no know cure, sounds like a scene from a Hollywood block buster, Outbreak anyone?

In reality the reverse is often true. A silent, almost under the radar killer that suffers very little media attention and as such goes about its work in a quiet but deadly fashion. Perhaps fashion is the operative word here. 

The hyped up nature of the pandemic, from a pig or bird to to your next door neighbour in one swift swoop, or worse to you. This news is hot, it can’t fail to sell to the masses and the media are ready to deliver. You can visulise the editors looking for that many angles the very thought makes you dizzy, or is that a symptom, now I am starting to worry. The beads of sweat that I once blamed on looking for jobs in the classifieds have turned into the high temperature virus fight between my confused body and this retched Swine Flu.

Perhaps the cynic in me says this is just the good news day that the world has been waiting for a year for. Tired of the Middle East Syndrome, straining at the credit crunch and American Presidential matters, the one piece of fresh news that effects us all, so they say, is a damn good health scare.

So what of the origins of this Swine Flu? Mexico, but thousands of people suffer at the hands of flu anyway what makes this strain different than the rest? It would be glib to ignore the real issues here.

And these are that a Pandemic is always a possiblity, the killer disease, organism, virus, whaterver, transcending the barrier between animal and man and spreading at such a rate that within years, months weeks or days we have suffered such fatalities that selling newspapers would become pointless. Oh you cynic.

There are far more pressing issues facing us today and tomorrow. Global warming, tugs at the heart strings of those environmentalists amongst us but has failed to ignite the masses yet, more work needed Mr Media. 

The financial meltdown world-wide has headlined for too long now, let’s hit the reality button and move on, for this would surely kick start the process.

War and peace may always be a the subject of media focus, unless our need for aggression is controlled, i feel another Hollywood film on the way.

Third world poverty although always there hits the headlines in cycles.

Front page news often decends to a second, third and forth page. When this is true it is often gone as soon as it came. The real threat however it the consistant menace from the page five snippet.

Oh and by the way C Diff has just claimed its 10th victim at the Maidstone Hospital or Asbestos has been found at my childs school.

Hospital acquired infections are a huge problem in the UK. Thousands have died in recent years. MRSA and C diff have and will continue to effect the lives of many.

Asbestos related diseases such as Mesothelioma and Asbestosis have and will continue to blight hundreds of thousands world wide, despite steps to irradecate the use of asbestos. The latent period of symptoms to develop from initial exposure can be upwards of 40 years.

The conspiracy theorists amongst will always have fuel for their opinions but in my humble opinion it is the issues that sit just below the headlines that are the real threat. Look at it another way, was it not HG Wells who created one of the first mass hysterias with the radio broadcast of ‘War of the Worlds’ and yet it was the humble cold that defeated the aggressors?

If you or a loved one have been or you think have been effected by the hospital acquired infections MRSA or C Diff. Or have concerns about Asbestos Exposure then see below.

For Further information about MRSA visit: www.mrsacompensation.co.uk

For Further information about C Diff visit: www.cdiff-compensation.co.uk

For Further information about Asbestosis visit: www.asbestosiscompensationclaims.co.uk

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Eric Kampel asked:


Swine influenza – Swine influenza or swine flu is a respiratory disease in pigs caused by the type A H1N1 swine influenza virus (SIV). Humans in close proximity to swine could contract swine influenza if the swine are carrying the rare strain of the SIV that is capable of affecting humans.

Symptoms – Swine flu symptoms in humans are generally similar to regular flu (influenza) symptoms and include muscle pain, runny nose, sore throat, cough, headache, lack of appetite, fever, chills, and general weakness and discomfort. Other reported symptoms are nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.

Transmission – Swine flu spreads from pigs to humans when humans are close to infected pigs. People working in barns or visiting livestock exhibits housing infected pigs are likely to get affected. Transmission from humans to humans can occur when the infected individual coughs or sneezes when others are close by. Putting one’s hands to the nose or mouth after touching anything with the flu viruses on it could also spread the infection. Consuming well-cooked pork and pork products won’t cause infection as cooking to an internal temperature of 160°F kills bacteria and viruses, including the swine flu virus.

Treatment and medication – While swine flu can generally be cured by the four antiviral drugs approved for curing flu in the US, amantadine, rimantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir, the recent 2009 swine flu outbreak viruses have been found to be resistant to the first two drugs. Oseltamivir and zanamivir are now recommended for treatment and prevention of swine influenza.

Prevention – Swine flu can be prevented by taking certain precautionary measures, such as washing hands frequently with soap or an alcohol-based hand wash. Staying away from infected individuals is important as their coughing or sneezing could spread the infection. If instances of infection are reported in your locality, stay indoors as far as possible. Swine flue vaccine could be out by June 2009.



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