Health beat

What Do I Need to Know About Swine Flu?

From Dr. Tanya Benenson, NBCUniversal Medical Director

What is swine flu?
It is a lot like our seasonal flu but it usually only affects pigs. This one, swine influenza A (H1N1), is affecting humans who have not been exposed to pigs. This suggests there might be human-to-human transmission. The mode of transmission is presumably respiratory droplets.

If I had the flu shot, am I protected?
No. The swine H1N1 is very different from the human H1N1 that is in the flu vaccine. Currently there is no human vaccine available for swine flu.

How can I prevent getting the flu?
Similar recommendations as the seasonal flu. You are trying to avoid being exposed to respiratory droplets.

  • Hand washing or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers (minimum concentration of 60 percent to 95 percent ethanol or isopropanol).
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth as those are direct entry points for viruses. Viruses can get on your hands when you touch infected objects.
  • Avoid close contact (6ft) with a sick person.

What are the symptoms?
Symptoms are very similar to the human flu:

  • Cough
  • Fever/Chills
  • Sore throat
  • Fatigue/Body aches
  • Decreased appetite
  • Less commonly: runny nose, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea

Is there treatment for swine flu?
YES, Tamiflu and Relenza (both prescription medications) work on this virus but it needs to be started in the first 48 hours of symptoms. So it is important to contact your doctor right away if you have symptoms.

If I think I have the flu, what should I do?
STAY HOME and contact your physician right away. This is not the time to be "tough" and go into work or school nor is it the time to travel. If you see your doctor, they might do a swab of your nose or mouth to confirm the virus with the CDC. Your doctor would start you on treatment based on your symptoms and likelihood of having the illness. Don't be alarmed if your doctor's office has a sign posted, like in the SARS days, that tells you to put on a mask if you have flu-like symptoms. This is a routine precaution during an outbreak to protect health care workers as well as other patients in the office. We are all just being extra careful.

COVER YOUR COUGH and avoid close contact with others. You should maintain a distance of 6 ft between you and other people, even family members. If you need to COUGH or SNEEZE, cover it with a tissue and throw the tissue away. Alternatively if you have no tissue available, you can cough or sneeze into the elbow of your sleeve. You are trying to avoid spreading infected respiratory droplets around that others could pick up.

Is there reason to panic?
No. The CDC and WHO have a good handle on the situation and are establishing a state of preparedness. If you follow the guidelines above and keep updated on the Homepage and links below, you will be in top of it.

Questions?
If you have any further questions, call your physician. You can also call the CDC directly at (800) CDC-INFO (232-4636) or go online for more detailed information on swine flu:

And for updates on the current state of swine flu from the CDC and ISOS:


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7 Comments

Sammy said:

Would like to be updated more about the swine flu.
Could it be transmitted through undercooked pork?

DR C.P.SINGH JADAUN said:

Swine flue is serious problem in the world now, It shuld be tackled with the help of health education and if sign and symptoms then by adequate medical treatment.

K K Tan said:

Good article.

SHAILESH DAULAT SURVE said:

RESPECTED SIR/MADAM,

THANKS FOR VITAL INFORMATION PROVIDED ABOUT MEDICINES AND PRECAUTIONS ON SWINE FLU.

THANKING YOU,
SHAILESH DAULAT SURVE

good basic info

In 1997 Dr. Margaret Chan (Director-General of the World Health Organization) and Professor Kennedy Shortridge stopped an avian pandemic happening. Prof. Shortridge’s solution was a practical hands-on solution and one not based upon a drug cure, for they knew that this would never happen in time. Due to his and Dr. Chan’s swift actions, millions if not hundreds of millions, were most probably saved from a highly contagious global killer pandemic. Little is said about this in the press or media for it definitely appears that they have been programmed to believe that a drugs cure will come in time. This is a total fallacy if we refer to the ‘Spanish flu’ (swine flu) where at least 20 million perished but where in all probability nearer to 100 million worldwide died. Unfortunately the next deadly flu pandemic will kill far more than these numbers, as the world’s population is now many times larger and with modern air travel, it will take effect far more quickly and will spread even wider.
Indeed, common sense dictates that if it takes two to three months to isolate and develop antidotes, and a minimum of a further 6 months to provide a drug together with an extra minimum 6 months to effectively distribute to the masses, not many will survive if they are infected. For the wretched problem here is that the 1918 killer flu did its worst in the first 4>6 months and where travel was much slower in those days. Indeed, several months before the deadly Spanish Flu arrived, there was a milder swine flu outbreak across the world, just like what we have today, but where it reappeared with a vengeance in the Autumn of 1918 (between Sept. and Nov.). That is what we have clearly to be fearful of and where it may happen again. Professor Shortridge defeated the killer flu at its source and where he believes in the global strategy of ‘to never let it happen in the first place’. Predominantly this is what really governments should be doing all across the world, as the drugs cure will simply come too late. It is time therefore that the media and press took note of the ‘only’ real solution to this killer pandemic, whenever it happens, and where presently they are being deluded by the large pharmaceuticals and governments into believing that a drugs cure will come in time. Unfortunately for the media this time, even their own families with some certainty will be affected. We therefore require an ‘open debate’ to be undertaken and ‘open minds’ to be heard if we are to stop such unprecedented deaths happening and on an unimaginable scale.

Dr David Hill
World Innovation Foundation

vasundhara said:

We knew about the mode of transmission, symptoms, and the precautions to be taken to fight against swine flu. But still I have a doubt that “ can a person be cured and be healthy after effecting by swine flu?”

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