Swine Flu: What You Need To Know

November 26, 2009 · Filed Under Health and Fitness · Comment 

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With the new strain of influenza running around, I think everyone should know a few things. The thing is with any disease, even the H1N1 Virus, is it’s not the disease that really kills you. It’s ignorance that does it. You have to know enough to take care of yourself.

One of the things you have to remember is that influenza is spread via germs, and germs are spread via contact with contaminated items then contact with either your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs can’t get through the pores of your skin and need a convenient opening to get into. Don’t give them that opening. There’s a simple and easy way to do it: just wash your hands regularly, especially before eating anything or touching anything that you want to eat – like that tasty sandwich you’re about to have for a snack

It may seem rather simplistic but the regular act of rinsing and disinfecting your hands can help make sure that you never get infected with the H1N1. Another way to avoid infection is to avoid close contact with sick people. Remember germs can also be transmitted by air though microscopic droplets that are released when a person coughs or sneezes. Standing around sick people increases the chance of infection so try to avoid doing that, mostly because you can’t avoid touching stuff that they’ve sneezed on and those germs can go directly into your nose and mouth when you inhale.

So what if you suddenly get the sniffles? Is it time to hie off to the doctor for a consult? The smart thing to do is to just stay at home first and monitor your condition. The problem with identifying the H1N1 is that it shares many of the same symptoms as the normal run-of-the-mill human flu: coughs, colds, fevers and the whole nine yards. Take the usual medicine at first and see if you settle down after that.

The over-the-counter antiviral drugs aren’t as effective on H1N1 Virus as human flu but they can make you feel a whole lot better and rev up you immune system to deal with your infection. You should also try your best to limit the infection to yourself. Cover your mouth when sneezing or coughing so as to prevent the spread of germs in your environment.

If your symptoms are taking too long to cure, you might be infected. Note that Swine Flu is like the normal flu in that it manages to weaken your immune system for other respiratory diseases like pneumonia and bronchitis to spread. It can also worsen any conditions that you might currently have, like asthma. If you start vomiting or start suffering from diarrhea, it’s time to have the doctor drop by immediately.

Although it has caused a few deaths, the H1N1 Flu is nothing to worry about. As long as it has been caught early, there is treatment available in the form of antiviral inhibitors that help stop the virus from reproducing, which should help make you feel a whole lot better. 

The current situation may all seem a bit frightening, but the Swine Flu Virus is just a disease. All you need to protect yourself from it is to act smart and be prepared. Hopefully, this information can help a bit and act as that ounce of prevention so you won’t have to use that pound of cure.

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Signs And Symptoms Of Swine Flu

November 23, 2009 · Filed Under Health and Fitness · Comment 

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Most of the human race is now aware of the news outbreak about H1N1 Flu – but are we aware of the signs and symptoms of Swine Flu? We already know how to prevent but the signs and symptoms is still a puzzle in our mind.  Well, through this article, I will give you insights if you are now a victim of H1N1 virus.

But before, we proceed let me introduce to you first about Swine Flu.  The 3-10% of the global population estimated to affect the yearly influenza epidemics that can be a result in severe illness in 3-4 million patients and causing 200,000-400,000 deaths worldwide.  Severe illness and deaths occur mainly in the high-risk populations of infants, the elderly, pregnant women and chronically ill patients in industrialized nations.  

In addition to these yearly epidemics, the influenza A virus has caused three major global pandemics during the 20th century: there was the Spanish flu in 1918, the Asian flu in 1957 and in 1968-69 was the Hong Kong flu. These pandemics were caused by an Influenza A virus that had undergone major genetic changes, due to which the population did not possess significant immunity.

In pigs influenza infection produces lethargy, sneezing, fever, coughing, difficulty breathing and decreased appetite.  In some cases especially the pregnant women, the infection can cause abortion.  Although mortality is usually low (around 1-3%), the virus can produce weight loss and poor growth, causing economic loss to farmers.  Infected pigs can lose up to 10 pounds of body weight over a 2 to 3 week period. 

Main symptoms of Swine Flu in humans can be a direct transmission of a H1N1 virus from pigs to humans is occasionally possible (called zoonotic H1N1). Under phase one, an animal outbreak of flu symptoms in your hog race backyard.

In phase two considered when the owner within the hog race backyard got infected with a flu from their animal symptoms.

Phase 3 reviewed when a child within the hog race backyard got infected together with his father, his mother and his siblings. The fourth phase, there is a cause of community-level outbreaks of human-to-human transmission of an animal or human-animal flu virus.  This phase will focus to contain the spreading of the virus. 

Countries will be informed asking to advice their people such as traveling to containment areas.  All countries with infected with the H1N1 must also consider in deploying a pandemic vaccine.  (e.g. when the infected family member went out from their backyard decided to talk to his friends and unaware that he’s spreading the virus.)

Second to the last phase, when a man-infected virus either a family member or any of his friends travel to another neighboring country.  You will know if there your country is in a phase 5 dominant when there is an announcement suspension of classes because of flu spread out.  

This final and a pandemic phase is just like when an unaware man-infected virus travel to another continent unaware that he spread out the H1N1 virus to another races.  Now with the above mentioned signs and symptoms, you are now ready to plan and prepare immediately of the possible attacks of the Swine Flu virus.  Consult to different agencies that concerns with the Swine Flu Virus pandemics.

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You Too Can Prevent Swine Flu

November 23, 2009 · Filed Under Health and Fitness · Comment 

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The majority of the readers in any search engine are looking of anything under the sun.  They are looking about animation, love, pornography, showbiz, politics, cartoons, masquerade, games, cards, download materials, travel and leisure, heartache, etc.  They are more familiar of the mentioned topics, but are they aware of the recent pandemics that outbreaks the world?  What?  The pandemics! What? The Swine Flu! Swine or pigs, then Flu means respiratory infections.  

So, a simple man will ask: “Am I interested with the Swine Flu outbreak? There’s no flu-like in my community, even I, doesn’t have a Swine Flu Virus, we don’t have pigs in our community, why should we afraid of the Swine Flu? Why should I know about that? Should I know to prevent the Swine Flu?”

The answer is: “Even if, there’s no H1N1 in your community, you must know how to prevent that kind.” This article, will teach you the basic steps on how to prevent the H1N1 Virus virus in a very simplest way.

First, washing our hands frequently using any germicidal soap with water can help us prevent with the spreading virus especially if we suspected someone.  If you don’t have available germicidal soap in the area, you can use alcohol-based hand sanitizer.  Either if you are using soap or hand sanitizer, you must follow this steps: connects your two palms facing each other, rub them horizontally, vertically then squeeze each other throughout your fingers.  Do it for five to six times a day.  

Secondly, you must cover your nose with a tissue paper before you deliver a cough and sneeze especially if you are talking to somebody else.  Throw your tissue in the trash can after you use it, so that transfer of the virus coming from your respiratory will be avoided.

Third, if you are not feeling well avoid going out to your friends, playground, schools and offices, much better you have to stay in your house and quarantine yourself for three to four days.

Fourth, avoid hugging or kissing at any public occasions instead gesture your hands and smile at each other until the Swine Flu Outbreak diminish.

Fifth, if you suspected yourself of a possible flu-like virus, you better report to your nearest Health Officer in the community for proper diagnostic.  (Note: if you suffered fever, sore throat and cough for more than two days, don’t hesitate to go to your Health Officer, its better to check as early as possible than to die early).

Sixth, there are a number of things that you can do in preparing yourself and those around you for a flu pandemic.  It is important to think of it the challenges that you might face, particularly if a pandemic is severe.

Seventh, for assurance in planning for the impact of a Swine Flu virus on you, your family and your business, go to your Health Officer for more information about Swine Flu careers from individuals, families, and your workplace, and for information directed from schools, health care providers, community organizations and governments

Aside from your own H1N1 Flu prevention, there are some government agencies such as the Department of Health, Department of Education and the Department of National Defense to help us strengthen our immune system and detect a possible H1N1 Flu in our community.  Planning and preparation can be lessened the effects of a pandemic if do it ahead of time.

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H1N1 Flu (H1N1 Virus)

November 20, 2009 · Filed Under Health and Fitness · Comment 

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Responsible for binding the virus to host cells is called the HA (hemagglutinin) peplomer while the virus that allows to break its bonds to the host cell once it is ready to move on is called the NA (neuraminidase) peplomer.  This type is also called H1N1 Flu or well-known as Swine Flu Virus.  H1N1 is a type of virus infected from pigs.  Humans do not normally get H1N1, but human infections can and do happen. 

But, randomly, the human race got infected with H1N1.  Most frequently, these cases occur in persons with direct exposure to pigs (example: owner and or workers in the swine backyard or industry or even the children near pigs at a fair).

The virus is contagious and can spread from human to human.  Symptoms of H1N1 Flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu such as cough, fever, body aches, sore throat, chills, fatigue and headache. Swine Flu Virus is a respiratory track infection from the hogs.  This kind of virus can kill the human race just like what happen to a pregnant woman and another individual in Texas with also reported death in Washington.  This infection is a worldwide virus outbreak that started in Mexico and eventually spread from one country to another continent including China. 

A flu deadly disease occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity at all and those whom their hospitals are more than 10 to 20 miles from their community can easily infected with the Swine Flu.  The transmission of human to human of Swine Flu can also be done.  

This is thought to happen in the same way as seasonal flu occurs in people, which is mainly through coughing or sneezing of people infected with the influenza virus to an uninfected individual will be infected also.  People may also become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then they touch their mouth or nose.  The disease spreads easily by human to human transmission and can be cause with serious sickness, and can spread to other individuals in your community, spread out across the country and even worldwide in a very short period of time.  

A big NO-NO to some individuals who think that Swine Flu can also get from foods we eat.  Take note that influenza viruses cannot be transmitted by food by means of eating pork or pork products.  Eating properly handled and properly cooked pork is safe.  

Swine Flu can be monitor if you consult to your health officer directly if you are not feeling well for more than 24 hours especially if you have a hog race industry in your backyard.  They will advice you on how to plan, prepare and prevent the Swine Flu Virus virus that spread out worldwide.

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The Latest Killer Flu: H1N1 And You

November 14, 2009 · Filed Under Health and Fitness · Comment 

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The Center for Disease Control has probably had some very wild times this past decade. First SARS, then the bird flu, and now today’s potential epidemic is the Swine Flu. First manifesting itself in Mexico this past April, this new and terrible strain of Type A H1N1 influenza is one of those things that every microbiologist and health care professional is afraid of.

The reason for that fear is pretty simple. Like the bird flu, this particular strain crossed species. Specifically, it crossed over from the swine population, a species that has an in-built resistance to it, to the human population, a population that does not. If this spreads and becomes a full blown epidemic, the Swine Flu may reach the heights of the 1918 Spanish Flu, which killed fifty to a hundred million people worldwide and devastated the post-World War I generation.

The CDC has stepped up its alert levels and some governments have instituted quarantine procedures, but still more and more cases are emerging across the world. Mexico City has most of the fatalities though, with most other cases outside of city being less severe in symptoms. However, this is just a month into the outbreak and anything can still happen. With the continuing spread of the disease, let’s talk about how this affects you.

Let’s be honest here, after all that I’ve just said, there’s actually no real reason to panic. Actually, we shouldn’t panic. That’s because panic just confuses people and to deal effectively with something of this magnitude, being confused is not the state of mind you want to be in. What you really need to be is to be aware and knowledgeable about what you’re dealing with. This and quick decisive action is what got the world through SARS and the bird flu, and it most likely will help us make sure that the Swine Flu isn’t the one that kills us all.

The H1N1 Virus is pretty much like your normal human flu. It has all the same infection vectors, all the same symptoms, and all the same treatments. It’s all just heightened by a factor of two, mostly because humans haven’t any natural resistance to the disease. If you want to avoid getting infected do all the same things that you’d do to avoid getting the flu: wash your hands regularly, take your vitamins, and avoid sick people.

If you somehow get sick, it’s not the time to run around like a headless chicken. You immediately isolate yourself so you won’t infect others and observe your symptoms, all of the while taking your regular flu medicine. Note that even if it is called Swine Flu, it’s still a virus and antiviral drugs are pretty effective in putting a dent in the symptoms you may experience and help your immune system kick the infection out.

It your symptoms persist despite your efforts, you better start calling for a doctor. Don’t worry if it really is the Swine Flu Virus – the CDC has recommended the use of antiviral inhibitors that help stop the reproduction of the disease and the sickness is definitely treatable.

Let’s all just remember that the Swine Flu maybe deadly, but it’s still just a disease. And the only things you need to have to beat a disease is being smart and being careful. With all the noise that the media brings up about it, that fact may get lost in the shuffle. Remember it and it may just save your life.

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