Swine Flu And Bird Flu, What Are The Precautions You Can Take And Treatments Available

Today we are (more and more|more} at risk from various strains of the flu virus. initially we had alarms over the bird flu virus, and recently swine flu has become a major worry. Swine flu is more serious than bird flu was. It was feared that bird flu could mutate into a strain that would effect humans, but for a handful of cases, this situation did not materialize. Swine flu is of much more worry, it has the ability to pass between humans making swine flu a very serious threat.

Swine flu, or to be more correct influenza A (H1N1), is a disease that effects pigs, it is caused by a flu virus. Swine flu outbreaks in pigs is not uncommon but is only rarely fatal. In the past, swine flu has not normally infected humans, although it can happen occasionally.

Swine flu is very dangerous because it is a new strain of the flu virus. The problem is no one has been in contact with this particular strain previously, therefore no one has built up any immunity. It is our inbuilt immunity that prevents diseases from becoming life threatening, with no immunity to the swine flu virus we are at the mercy of the virus. Absolutely everyone is vulnerable, this includes healthy adults and teenagers as well as children and the elderly.

The real worry is what will happen when the winter flu season arrives. It is then when the virus may quickly spread causing widespread illness with the possibility of over half of the population becoming infected.

Swine flu symptoms are very similar to the symptoms of ordinary flu. These include a sudden,sudden onset of fever, cough, shortness of breath. Other symptoms that may present themselves include headaches, a sore throat, muscle aches, chills, sneezing, a runny nose, loss of appetite and tiredness.

Precautions to take First, anyone with cold or flu symptoms should to take a few easy, but most important precautions. The flu virus is passed between humans by the droplets from the mouth and nose when someone sneezes or coughs. This is the way viruses such as swine flu are passed from person to person. Covering your nose and mouth with your hands when you cough or sneeze is not enough. The virus simply sit on your hands, then everything you touch afterwards becomes contaminated. Anyone then touching the same place as you will pick up the virus and then risks becoming infected. Always use a handkerchief or a tissue. A tissue is better, this should then be disposed of as soon as possible, try to use a fresh tissue if you cough or sneeze again.

There are currently no vaccinations that stop anyone catching swine flu. The swine flu virus is a new type of virus and is not the same as ordinary flu. Therefore the annual vaccination against the usual ordinary flu isn’t effective against the swine flu virus. Once the strain of flu causing swine flu is identified, it will then take many months to produce. By this time, it may have changed into a different strain.

Currently the only real effective precaution against swine flu is Tamiflu. Tamiflu is not guaranteed to stop flu, but when a person has been exposed to another person who has the flu virus, it can help prevent the virus making a person ill. If Tamiflu is taken within 2 days of contracting the flu virus, Tamiflu can help to stop the virus spreading throughout the body, thereby reducing the symptoms and associated risk. Governments worldwide are stockpiling Tamiflu, but the supplies will be used to treat key workers and individuals before the general population.

You can however buy Tamiflu online, if the situation arises you can protect yourself and your family as much as possible. Although it cannot be emphasized strongly enough, Tamiflu has to be taken as soon as possible to be effective, any delays in treating the virus will greatly reduce the effectiveness of Tamiflu. If you are at a increased risk because of your situation, such as For example living in a busy city with a large population or for example working in a busy open plan office, then it may be prudent to buy Tamiflu before the winter flu season begins. If you happen live in the country and don’t have close contact with many people then your risk will be lower.

Also, remember that swine flu is a worldwide problem. If a pandemic outbreak becomes global it is possible that supplies of Tamiflu may be diminished and may not be great enough to meet a huge global demand.

Until a vaccine is discovered and produced in the quantities required, Tamiflu is the most effective treatment for swine flu.

Disclaimer: This posting is based on information freely available in the popular press and medical articles related to swine flu. Nothing in this posting is intended to be or should be construed to be any sort of medical advice. For medical advice you are encouraged to consult your healthcare worker.

No related posts.

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.