Straight from the mind

What is swine flu?

Swine influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen.

Is swine flu contagious?
Yes, but it is unknown how easily the virus spreads between people.

Who is at highest risk from H1N1 swine flu?
Most cases of H1N1 swine flu have been in older children and young adults. It’s not clear why, and whether this will change. But certain groups are at particularly high risk of severe disease or bad outcomes if they get the flu:

• Young children, especially those under 12 months of age.
• Elderly people are at high risk of severe flu disease. But relatively few swine flu cases have been seen in people over age 65.
• People with cardiovascular conditions (except high blood pressure).
• People with liver problems.
• Kidney problems.
• People with blood disorders, including sickle cell disease.
• People with neurological disorders.
• People with neuromuscular disorders.
• People with metabolic disorders, including diabetes.
• People with immune suppression, including HIV infection and medications that suppress the immune system, such as cancer chemotherapy or anti-rejection drugs for transplants.
• Residents of a nursing home or other chronic-care facility

People in these groups should seek medical care as soon as they get flu symptoms.

If I think I have swine flu, what should I do? When should I see my doctor?
If you have flu symptoms, stay home, and when you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Afterward, throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands. That will help prevent your flu from spreading. If you have only mild flu symptoms, you do not need medical attention unless your illness gets worse. But if you are in one of the
groups at high risk of severe disease, contact your doctor at the first sign of flu-like illness. In such cases, see your doctor before rushing to an emergency room. But there are emergency warning signs.

Children should be given urgent medical attention if they:

• Have fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Have bluish or gray skin color
• Are not drinking enough fluid
• Are not waking up or not interacting
• Have severe or persistent vomiting
• Are so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Have flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and a worse cough.
• Have fever with a rash
• Have a fever and then have a seizure or sudden mental or behavioral change.

Adults should seek urgent medical attention if they have:

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms that improve, but then come back with worsening fever or cough

Keep in mind that your doctor will not be able to determine whether you have swine flu, but he or she may take a sample from you and send it to a state health department lab for testing to see if it’s swine flu. If your doctor suspects swine flu, he or she would be able to write you a prescription for Tamiflu or Relenza.These antiviral medications aren’t a question of life or death for the vast majority of people.

How severe is swine flu?
Severity of cases in the current swine flu outbreak has varied widely, from mild cases to fatalities. Most cases have been mild, but there have been a number of deaths and hundreds of hospitalizations — mostly in young people aged 5 to 24. Like seasonal flu, children who get swine flu can have serious neurological complications such as seizures and Reye’s syndrome. But as with seasonal flu, these complications fortunately are rare. Studies of the swine flu virus show that it is more infectious to lung cells than are seasonal flu viruses. But studies also suggest that the swine flu virus is less well adapted to humans and may be harder to inhale deep into the lungs.
Flu viruses change all the time, and the way the pandemic swine flu virus evolved suggests that it is particularly liable to swap gene segments with other flu viruses. But so far the swine flu virus hasn’t changed much. That’s good news, as the vast majority of swine flu cases have been mild. It’s impossible to know whether the virus will become more deadly. Scientists are watching closely to see which way the new swine flu virus is heading — but health experts warn that flu viruses are notoriously hard to predict.
Important Note : If you have any flu-like symptoms contact or see a doctor for treatment and STAY HOME for your own well being and the well being of others.

*The information provided herein is generic and persons intending to use this information should do so only under appropriate medical advice.