HEALTH: SWINE FLU (H1N1) SWINE INFLUENZA (FLU SYMPTOMS)

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HEALTH:  SWINE FLU (H1N1) SWINE INFLUENZA (SWINE FLU SYMPTOMS)                                               Influenza (Flu)>>

What is the Swine Flu (H1N1)?

Swine influenza is flu virus usually found in pigs. The virus occasionally changes (mutates) and becomes infectious in humans. When this happens, the disease becomes a concern to humans, who have little or no immunity against it. This means the virus has the potential to spread quickly around the world. It also may be more difficult to treat than the usual, seasonal human flu viruses.

Swine flu refers to a respiratory infection caused by influenza A viruses that ordinarily cause illness in pigs. Humans can catch swine flu from infected pigs, but pig-to-human transmission is unusual. Human-to-human transmission of true swine flu is also possible but infrequent.

The recent outbreak of what is being called swine flu involves a new H1N1 type A influenza strain that's a genetic combination of swine, avian and human influenza viruses. It's capable of spreading from human to human.

The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus that has infected humans in the U.S. and Mexico is a novel influenza A virus that has not previously been identified in North America.

The best approach you can take is to try to avoid infection. If you do develop swine flu symptoms, seek prompt medical attention so that you have the best chance of antiviral drugs providing you with successful treatment.

It’s uncertain at this time how severe this swine flu (H1N1) outbreak will be in terms of illness and death compared with other influenza viruses. Because this is a new virus, most people will not have immunity to it, and illness may be more severe and widespread as a result. In addition, currently there is no vaccine to protect against this swine flu (H1N1) virus. CDC anticipates that there will be more cases, more hospitalizations and more deaths associated with this new virus in the coming days and weeks.

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Also see:    Emphysema     Lung Cancer     Bronchitis     Asthma     Allergies      Pneumonia    Sinuses     Common Cold    Influenza

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Health: Causes of the Swine Flu (Swine Influenza - H1N1)

Influenza viruses infect the cells lining your nose, throat and lungs. You can be exposed to swine flu virus if you have contact with infected pigs or humans. The virus enters your body when you inhale contaminated droplets or transfer live virus from a contaminated surface to your eyes, nose or mouth on your hand.

In the spring of 2009, the health cases of human infection with swine flu (H1N1) were confirmed in Mexico and in several states in the United States. Health cases of swine flu infection in humans were also reported in other countries.

The swine flu virus is contagious and can spread from human to human. At this time, it is unknown how easily it can spread between people.

It is known that flu viruses can spread from pigs to people, and from people to pigs. However, you cannot get swine flu (H1N1) virus from eating pork.

Human-to-human infection with the swine flu (H1N1) virus likely occurs the same way as seasonal flu, when an infected person coughs or sneezes into air that others breathe in the virus. People may also get infected by touching something with the virus on it, such as a door knob, keyboard, counter, water fountain, remote and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes.

Health: Risk Factors of the Swine Flu (Swine Influenza - H1N1)

Persons with swine flu (H1N1) virus infection should be considered potentially contagious for up to 7 days following illness onset. Persons who continue to be ill longer than 7 days after illness onset should be considered potentially contagious until symptoms have resolved. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

The duration of infectiousness might vary by swine flu (H1N1) virus strain. Non-hospitalized ill persons who are a confirmed or suspected case of swine flu (H1N1) virus infection are recommended to stay at home (voluntary isolation) for at least the first 7 days after illness onset except to seek medical care.

Swine farmers and veterinarians have the highest swine flu risk because of their exposure to pigs.

If you've traveled to an affected area, you may have been exposed to human swine influenza A (H1N1), particularly if you spent time in large crowds.

Health: Symptoms of the Swine Flu  (Swine Influenza - H1N1)

The swine flu symptoms in humans are similar to those symptoms of other flu strains infection.

• Fever above 100.4 °F

• Cough

• Sore throat

• Headache

• Chills

• Fatigue

• Diarrhea

• Vomiting

• Muscle aches

Symptoms develop three to five days after you're exposed to the virus and continue for about another week. You can pass the virus to other people for about eight days, starting one day before you get sick and continuing until you've recovered.

When to see a health care provider
See your doctor immediately if you develop flu symptoms, such as fever, cough and body aches, and you have recently traveled to an area where H1N1 swine flu has been reported. Be sure to let your doctor know when and where you traveled.

Also see your doctor if you develop respiratory symptoms after you've been in close contact with someone who may have been exposed to H1N1 swine flu.

Doctors have rapid tests to identify the flu virus, but there is no rapid test to differentiate swine influenza A H1N1 from other influenza A subtypes.

Swine flu complications include:

• Worsening of chronic conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and asthma

• Pneumonia

• Respiratory failure

Severe complications of human swine flu (H1N1) seem to develop and progress rapidly.

Health: Diagnosis of Swine Flu (Swine Influenza - H1N1)

Swine flu (H1N1) is presumptively diagnosed clinically by the patient's history of association with people known to have the disease and their symptoms listed above. Usually, a quick test (for example, nasopharyngeal swab sample) is done to see if the patient is infected with influenza A or B virus. Most of the tests can distinguish between A and B types.

The test can be negative (no flu infection) or positive for type A and B. If the test is positive for type B, the flu is not likely to be swine flu (H1N1). If it is positive for type A, the person could have a conventional flu strain or swine flu (H1N1). Swine flu (H1N1) is definitively diagnosed by identifying the particular antigens associated with the virus type. In general, this test is done in a specialized laboratory and is not done by many doctors' offices or hospital laboratories. However, doctors' offices are able to send specimens to specialized laboratories if necessary.

If you think you have been exposed to H1N1 influenza, call your health care provider before your visit. This will give the staff a chance to take proper precautions to protect them and other patients during your office visit.

If the H1N1 flu becomes widespread, there will be little need to continue testing people, so your health care provider may decide not to test for the flu virus.

Your doctor may perform the following physical exam:

• Auscultation (to detect abnormal breath sounds)

• Chest X-ray
  

Your doctor can test for the H1N1 flu virus using a nasopharyngeal swab (a swab of the back of the inside of your nose), or grow it in a culture. However, this will likely happen only if:

• You are at high risk for flu complications.

• You are very sick in health.

Health: Treatment of Swine Flu (Swine Influenza - H1N1)

Most cases of flu, including human swine flu, need no treatment other than symptom relief. If you have a chronic respiratory disease, your doctor may prescribe additional medication to decrease inflammation, open your airways and help clear lung secretions.

Although the greatest treatment for influenza infections in humans is prevention by vaccination, to date (April 2009), there is no vaccine available for swine flu (H1N1). Two antiviral agents have been reported to help prevent or reduce the effects of swine flu. They are zanamivir (Relenza) and oseltamivir (Tamiflu), both of which are also used to prevent or reduce influenza A and B symptoms.

These drugs should not be used indiscriminately, because viral resistance to them can and has occurred. Also, they are not recommended if the flu symptoms already have been present for 48 hours or more. Severe infections in some patients may require additional supportive measures such as ventilation support and treatment of other infections like pneumonia that can occur in patients with a severe flu infection. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has suggested in their interim guidelines that pregnant females can be treated with the two antiviral agents.

The best way to prevent swine flu would be the same best way to prevent other influenza infections, and that is vaccination. When a safe vaccine is developed (projected to happen in a few months), people should get vaccinated if the disease is still causing infections. The CDC says that a good way to prevent any flu disease is to avoid exposure to the virus; this is done by frequent hand washing, not touching your hands to your face (especially the nose and mouth), and avoiding any close proximity to or touching any person that may have swine flu symptoms.

Since the virus can remain viable and infectious for about 48 hours on many surfaces, good hygiene and cleaning with soap and water or alcohol-based hand disinfectants are also recommended. Some physicians say face masks may help prevent getting airborne flu viruses (for example, from a cough or sneeze), but others think the better use for masks would be on those people who have symptoms and sneeze or cough.

The use of Tamiflu or Relenza may help prevent the flu if taken before symptoms develop or reduce symptoms if taken within about 48 hours after symptoms develop. However, taking these drugs is not routinely recommended for prevention because investigators suggest that as occurs with most drugs, flu strains will develop resistance to these medications. Your doctor should be consulted before these drugs are prescribed.

In general, preventive measures to prevent the spread of flu are often undertaken by those people who have swine flu symptoms. Symptomatic people should stay at home, avoid crowds, and take off from work or school until the disease improves or medical help is sought. Sneezing, coughing, and nasal secretions need to be kept away from other people; simply using tissues and disposing of them will help others. Quarantining patients is usually not warranted, but such health measures depend on the severity of the disease.

If you come down with any type of flu, these measures may help ease your symptoms:

• Drink plenty of liquids. Choose water, juice and warm soups to prevent dehydration. Drink enough so that your urine is clear or pale yellow.
• Rest. Get more sleep to help your immune system fight infection.

• Consider pain relievers. Use an over-the-counter pain reliever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) cautiously, as needed.

  Remember, pain relievers may make you more comfortable, but they won't make your symptoms go away any faster and may have side effects. Ibuprofen may cause stomach pain, bleeding and ulcers. If taken for a long period or in higher than recommended doses, acetaminophen can be toxic to your liver.

  Talk to your doctor before giving acetaminophen to children. And don't give aspirin to children or teens because of the risk of Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease.

• Stay home if you're sick. If you do have swine flu, you can give it to others starting about 24 hours before you develop symptoms and ending about seven days later.
• Wash your hands thoroughly and frequently. Use soap and water, or if they're unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Flu viruses can survive for two hours or longer on surfaces, such as doorknobs and counter tops.
• Avoid contact. Stay away from crowds if all possible.
• Reduce exposure within your household. If a member of your household has swine flu, designate one other household member to be responsible for the ill person's close personal care, to avoid the infection of other members.
• Face masks and respirators may be use. Information on the effectiveness of face masks and respirators for the control of influenza in community settings is extremely limited. Thus, it is difficult to assess their potential effectiveness in controlling swine influenza A (H1N1) virus transmission in these settings. In the absence of clear scientific data, the interim recommendations below have been developed on the basis of public health judgment and the historical use of face masks and respirators in other settings.

  In areas with confirmed human cases of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus infection, the health risk for infection can be reduced through a combination of actions. No single action will provide complete protection, but an approach combining the following steps can help decrease the likelihood of transmission. These actions include frequent hand washing, covering coughs, and having ill persons stay home, except to seek medical care, and minimize contact with others in the household. Additional measures that can limit transmission of a new influenza strain include voluntary home quarantine of members of households with confirmed or probable swine influenza cases, reduction of unnecessary social contacts, and avoidance whenever possible of crowded settings.

  When it is absolutely necessary to enter a crowded setting or to have close contact with persons who might be ill, the time spent in that setting should be as short as possible. If used correctly, face masks and respirators may help reduce the risk of getting influenza, but they should be used along with other preventive measures, such as avoiding close contact and maintaining good hand hygiene. A respirator that fits snugly on your face can filter out small particles that can be inhaled around the edges of a face mask, but compared with a face mask it is harder to breathe through a respirator for long periods of time.

  When crowded settings or close contact with others cannot be avoided, the use of face masks or respirators in areas where transmission of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus has been confirmed should be considered as follows:

1. Whenever possible, rather than relying on the use of face masks or respirators, close contact with people who might be ill and being in crowded settings should be avoided.
   
   
2. Face masks should be considered for use by individuals who enter crowded settings, both to protect their nose and mouth from other people's coughs and to reduce the wearers' likelihood of coughing on others; the time spent in crowded settings should be as short as possible.
   
   
3. Respirators should be considered for use by individuals for whom close contact with an infectious person is unavoidable. This can include selected individuals who must care for a sick person (e.g., family member with a respiratory infection) at home.

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