Ram Gunjal asked:


In late March and early April 2009, cases of human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses were first reported in Southern California and near San Antonio, Texas. CDC and local and state health agencies are working together to investigate this situation.

CDC has determined that this virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it not known how easily the virus spreads between people.

Symptoms : The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of 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. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

How serious is swine flu infection?



Like seasonal flu, swine flu in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe. Between 2005 until January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the U.S. with no deaths occurring. However, swine flu infection can be serious. In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died 8 days later. A swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey occurred in 1976 that caused more than 200 cases with serious illness in several people and one death.

Spread of swine flu can occur in two ways:

Through contact with infected pigs or environments contaminated with swine flu viruses. Through contact with a person with swine flu. Human-to-human spread of swine flu has been documented also and is thought to occur in the same way as seasonal flu. Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.

Medicines to treat swine flu?

CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with these swine influenza viruses. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).

How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?

People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?

There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu.

There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza.



Psoriasis

.Jocare. asked:


I work at an elementary school with children whose parents come and go to Mexico on a regular basis. The swine flu is something I’m a bit worried about (especially since my pregnant girlfriend works at the same school) and i was just wondering what are some of the symptoms that victims of the swine flu are experencing?
Im actually scared, because Ive been having a stuffy nose anda sore throat lately and nothing seems to get rid of it!

Psoriasis Cream

Gen asked:


We can’t reach the doctor until Monday, and it’s not serious enough to go to an urgent care facility, but I’m really wondering whether my son has the flu. I know it’s early in the season, but live-virus vaccines are being given in the grocery-store vaccine clinics in our area, so he has been exposed to people who are contagious with flu.

He’s 19. His symptoms have been: fever 101.5 to 102 degrees, much nose-blowing, some dry coughing, some sneezing, sinus and lung congestion (but that’s common with his asthma), lots of achiness, general tiredness, headache, and the whole post-nasal drip with the sore throat. He’s keeping food down, but doesn’t want to eat. No sense of smell or taste. Seems like half the symptoms from each possible illness. He’s been sick three days, and he’s so healthy that if this is a virus, it’s his first ever, so we’re new at this.

If it was your kid what would you guess it is? How would you treat it? And how do you occupy him so he’ll rest??

Psoriasis Product Reviews

Sandy Powers asked:


Can You Protect Yourself From The Swine Flu?         

                         By Sandy Powers

 

Every day our bodies are attacked by viruses and bacteria that weaken our immune system and make us more vulnerable to diseases like the Swine Flu.

 

Swine Flu is a serious disease.  All flues are serious.  Even with the flu shots so many people get, around 36,000 people die in the United States yearly from the flu.  The concern is that a pandemic may occur.  If it does, many more people will die.  A pandemic is a disease that affects people worldwide.  An epidemic is more contained.

 

The Swine Flu is a respiratory illness that is spread from pigs to humans to other humans.  We spread it to each other much like we do colds—coughing, sneezing, and touching things with the virus on it.  Wearing masks offer little protection unless you are also wearing disposable gloves and wash your hands well after disposing of both, then disinfecting the sink and handles.  Unrealistic.

 

Symptoms are regular flu symptoms—fever, running nose, sore throat, and you can develop vomiting and diarrhea.

 

Treatment:  Antibiotics don’t work against viruses.  The antivirals may work but problems are developing that viruses are becoming immune to them.  Plus to work, you must take them within 48 hours of contact.  Often, with the flu, you don’t recognize the symptoms until it is too late for the antivirals to work.

 

So, how can we protect ourselves?

 

We keep our immune system in top shape so that if we do contact the Swine Flu, our bodies will fight serious complications.  We boost our immune system with certain foods.

Double the orange juice.  Don’t forget the kids.  Have them trade some of that apple juice for orange juice.

Eat carrots, sweet potatoes, and sweet bell peppers.

Beans, whole grains, nuts, especially walnuts, shrimp, and red meat.

Garlic and onions are great for boosting the immune system.

Get your Vitamin D from the sun 15 minutes a day.  Make sure your kids go outside after school for 15 minutes without sunscreen.

Drink plenty of liquids throughout the day to prevent dehydration even if you have no symptoms.

 

A meal that is loaded with immune boosters is Chili.  Make with ground beef, red, green, and yellow sweet peppers, tomatoes, garlic, onions, and lots of beans.

 



Forex Robot Check this Out NOW$

Stig Kristoffersen asked:


Swine flu refers to influenza caused by those strains of influenza virus that usually infect pigs and are called swine influenza virus (SIV). Swine influenza is common in pigs in the M?d-West of the United States and some other states, Mexico, Canada, South America, Europe, Kenya, Mainland China, Taiwan, Japan and other parts of eastern Asia.

Transmission of swine influenza virus from pigs to humans is not common and properly-cooked pork poses no risk of infection. When transmitted, it does not always cause human influenza and often the only sign of infection is the presence of antibodies in the blood which are only detectable by laboratory tests. When transmission results in influenza in a human, it is called zoonotic swine flu. People who work with pigs, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine flu. However, only about fifty such transmissions have been recorded since the mid-20th Century, when identification of influenza subtypes became possible. Rarely, these strains of swine flu can pass from human to human. In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and of influenza-like illness in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.

The 2009 flu outbreak in humans, known as “swine flu”, is due to an apparently virulent new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 that contained many genetic elements normally found in swine influenza. The origin of this new strain is unknown, and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reports that this strain has not been isolated in pigs. It can be transmitted from human to human, an ability attributed to an as-yet unidentified mutation. This 2009 H1N1 strain causes the normal symptoms of influenza, such as fever, coughing and headache.

The 2009 flu outbreak is due to a new strain of influenza, an apparent reassortment of at least four strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, including one strain endemic in humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in swine. Although initial reports identified the new strain as swine influenza (ie, a zoonosis), its origin is unknown. Several countries took precautionary measures to reduce the chances for a global pandemic of the disease.

This new strain had not previously been reported in pigs. On May 2, 2009, H1N1 was reported in pigs at a farm in Alberta, Canada, with a link to the 2009 swine flu outbreak in Mexico. The pigs are suspected to have caught this new strain of virus from a farm worker who recently travelled to Mexico, then showed symptoms of an influenza-like illness. These are probable cases, pending confirmation by laboratory testing.

The time and location of the outbreak is still unknown, but it was first detected in two cases in Southern California in late March. When this novel virus was publicized, officials in Mexico suspected a link to an outbreak of late-season flu cases they were finding. Mexican news media report that the outbreak may have started in February near a Smithfield Foods pig plant amid complaints about its intensive farming practices. Within days, hundreds more suspected cases were discovered in Mexico, with more cases also showing up in the U.S. and several other countries. By late April, officials from the U.N.’s World Health Organization (WHO), based in Switzerland, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S., were expressing serious concern about the flu outbreak, worried that it might become a worldwide flu pandemic.

The new strain has spread widely beyond Mexico and the U.S., with confirmed cases in eighteen countries and suspected cases in forty-two. Many countries have advised their inhabitants not to travel to infected areas. Countries including Australia, China, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand are monitoring visitors returning from flu-affected areas to identify people with fever and respiratory symptoms. Many countries have also issued warnings to visitors of flu-affected areas to contact a doctor immediately if they had flu-like symptoms.

Mexico’s schools, universities, and all public events will be closed from April 24, 2009 to May 6, 2009. By May 3, 2009, more than 400 schools in the U.S. closed due to confirmed or probable cases in students or staff, affecting 250,000 students

By April 28, the new strain was confirmed to have spread to Spain, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Israel, and the virus was suspected in many other nations. As a result, WHO raised its alert level to “Phase 5″ out of 6 possible, which it defines as a “signal that a pandemic is imminent” By the end of April, 300 schools had closed across the United States and the Mexican government ordered a multi-day shutdown of all non-essential activities in the government and private sector, amounting to a shutdown of most of the country’s economy. At the same time, however, many scientists were reaching a consensus that the epidemic was so far “relatively mild,” and believed that it could be less fatal than previous pandemics.

The new strain is an apparent reassortment of four strains of influenza A virus subtype H1N1. Analysis by the CDC identified the four component strains as one endemic in humans, one endemic in birds, and two endemic in pigs (swine). However, other scientists have stated that analyses of the 2009 swine flu (A/H1N1) viral genome “suggests that all segments are of swine origin”, “we are puzzled about sources of information that affirm that the virus is a reassortment of avian, human and swine viruses,” and “this preliminary analysis suggests at least two swine ancestors to the current H1N1, one of them related to the triple resorting viruses isolated in North America in 1998.” One swine strain was widespread in the United States, the other in Eurasia. Worldwide the common human H1N1 influenza virus affects millions of people every year, according to WHO officials, and “these annual epidemics result in about three to five million cases of severe illness, and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths” annually. In industrialized countries most of these annual deaths occur in people aged 65 or older. By May 2, some pigs in Canada were diagnosed with H1N1. Although some influenza strains can spread between species, the influenza virus is killed by normal cooking procedures, so there is no risk of infection from consumption of well-cooked pork and pork products.

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 alcohol-based hand sanitizers, especially after being out in public. The CDC advises not touching the mouth, nose or eyes, as these are primary modes of transmission. When coughing, they recommend coughing into a tissue and disposing of the tissue, then immediately washing the hands.

Of the available antiviral treatments for influenza, the WHO stated that the viruses obtained from the human cases with swine influenza in the United States were sensitive to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) but resistant to amantadine and rimantadine. Tamiflu and Relenza also have a preventative effect against Influenzavirus A. On April 27, the CDC recommended the use of Tamiflu and Relenza for both treatment and prevention of the new strain. Roche and the U.S. government had already extended the shelf life of federally stockpiled Tamiflu from the original five years to seven years because studies indicated that the medication continues to maintain its effectiveness.

 

 



Psoriasis Product Reviews

theshootergirl asked:


I had to go get a 2nd dose of the MMR vaccine on Monday because where I’m going to school next year requires 2 doses (University of Memphis) and since then I’ve been sick. Like a nasty cold and Tuesday night I gave up trying to sleep at 1:30am and then 4am the next night. Going to the doctor is not supposed to MAKE you sick, I know about side effects, but is this normal? Pretty much all I have left is congestion and a sore throat because of my cough. Last time I was sick (In Feb) I got a cold which left me with a cough, which led to an upper respiratory infection (though we didn’t know it at the time) which led to an ear infection which led to a ruptured ear drum (at the same time as the stomach flu). I REALLY don’t want to have to go through that pain again, it sucked. It was so bad my best friend could HEAR it when my ear started draining this weird stuff…
oh yeah, they do have a thing where you can object because of religious reasons or if you prove that you already have an immunity or whatever.

Psoriasis Product Reviews