All About Swine Flu
Information you would need to know about swine flu.
What is swine flu?
Swine influenza, which is widely known as swine flu or pig flu, is a flu caused by any strains of the flu virus, endemic, found in pigs.
In actual fact, swine flu is very rarely contracted by humans. Only people who work with swine (pigs) are at risk of catching the flu, but, only if the pigs they are working with are infected.
Then why is there a swine flu outbreak now?
This is because there is a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1 that derives from one strain of human influenza virus(the normal flu you get), one strain of avian influenza virus(bird flu), and two separate strains of swine influenza virus. How this new virus came to be is still not known.
How can I tell if I caught the swine flu?
The symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of a normal flu. These symptoms are chills, fever, sore throat; muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort so, if you caught a flu or had a fever recently, do not wave it off as a normal flu. You should see a doctor to check if you caught the flu. Swine flu spreads easily from an infected human to another, so it’s better to see your doctor if you got a flu recently. You wouldn’t want your family and friends to catch the swine flu would you? That is, if you really caught it.
How do you prevent swine flu?
As mentioned above, a way to prevent yourself from getting swine flu is to stay far, far away from any infected person. Stay away from live pigs as well. (If you own a pig, kill it. Ha-ha, just kidding. But seriously though!) Also practice good hygiene. Sneeze or cough into a tissue. Wash your hands before and after eating as well. Alcohol-based gel or foam hand sanitizers work well to destroy viruses and bacteria.
Will eating pork cause me to get swine flu?
No, you can’t get swine flu by eating pork. Swine flu cannot be spread though food, so eating pork will not cause you to get swine flu.
When is swine flu the most infectious?
The swine flu in humans is most infectious during the first five days of the illness although some people, most commonly children, can remain contagious for up to ten days
How is swine flu treated?
Antiviral drugs can make the symptoms of swine flu milder, but it cannot cure swine flu. Drink lots of water as well. Also, U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that using Tamiflu or Relenza will treat and/or prevent swine flu. Know that, most swine flu patients recover without any medical attention at all. Also, know that the virus is resistant to amantadine and rimantadine.
Statistics so far
As of 06:00 GMT, 1 May 2009, 11 countries have officially reported 331 cases of influenza A(H1N1) infection.
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