Swine Flu And Bird Flu, What Are The Precautions To Take And What Treatments Are Available

We are today (more and more|more} vulnerable from the various strains of the flu virus. First we had alarms over the bird flu virus, and more recently swine flu has become a major concern. Swine flu is of more concern than bird flu was. It was a worry that bird flu may mutate into a strain that could effect humans, apart from a few cases, this situation has not materialized. Swine flu is of much more concern, it has the ability to pass from human to human making swine flu a very serious threat.

Swine flu, or to be more correct influenza A (H1N1), is a disease that effects pigs, it is the result of a flu virus. Outbreaks of swine flu in pigs is not uncommon and is rarely fatal. Swine flu doesn’t normally infect humans, although it can occasionally happen.

Swine flu is very dangerous as it is a new strain of virus. It is dangerous because no one has been exposed to this particular strain of flu previously, and therefore no one has built up any immunity to this strain of flu. It is our inbuilt immunity that stops diseases from becoming life threatening, with no immunity to swine flu we are at the mercy of the virus. Everyone is vulnerable, this includes healthy adults as well as young children and the elderly.

The real worry is what occurs when winter arrives. This is the period when the swine flu virus may quickly spread causing a flu pandemic with the possibility of over half the population becoming infected.

The symptoms of swine flu are very similar to the symptoms of ordinary flu. The symptoms include a sudden,sudden onset of fever, cough, shortness of breath. Other symptoms that may present themselves include headaches, a sore throat, aching muscles, chills, sneezing, a runny nose, loss of appetite and tiredness.

So what precautions can we take. First, anyone with cold or flu symptoms needs to take a few easy, but very important precautions. The flu virus is passed between humans from the small droplets from the nose and mouth when someone coughs or sneezes. This is the way viruses are passed from person to person. Covering your nose and mouth with your hands when you sneeze or cough isn’t enough. The virus simply sit on your hands, and everything you handle afterwards becomes contaminated. Anyone touching anything you touched will pick up the virus and then risks becoming infected themselves. Therefore, always use a handkerchief or a tissue. A tissue is better, this should be disposed of safely as soon as you can, try to use a new tissue if you cough or sneeze again.

At the moment there are no vaccinations to stop anyone catching swine flu. The swine flu virus is a new strain of virus and isn’t the same as seasonal flu. Therefore the annual vaccination against the normal ordinary flu isn’t effective against swine flu. Even when the type of flu causing swine flu is identified, it will take several months to manufacture. By this time, it may well have changed into a different strain again.

Currently the only real effective treatment against the swine flu virus is Tamiflu. Tamiflu is not guaranteed to prevent flu, but when a person has been exposed to another person who is carrying the flu virus, Tamiflu can help prevent the virus making a person ill. If Tamiflu is taken within 2 days of developing flu, it can help stop the virus spreading throughout the body, reducing the symptoms and associated risk. Governments are stocking up on Tamiflu, but these supplies will first be used to treat key workers and individuals before the general population.

You can buy Tamiflu online, if the situation occurs you can treat yourself and your family. It can’t be emphasized strongly enough, Tamiflu has to be taken as soon as possible if it is to be effective, delays in treatment will greatly reduce the effectiveness of Tamiflu. If you think you may be at a increased risk because of your situation, such as For example living in a city with a large population or for example working in a busy office, then it may be prudent to buy Tamiflu before the winter flu season begins. If you live in the country and don’t have close contact with many people then of course there will be less chance of getting the flu virus.

Also, remember that swine flu is a global problem. If a pandemic outbreak becomes global it is possible that supplies of Tamiflu may be diminished and may not be great enough to meet a huge global demand.

Until a vaccine is discovered and manufactured in the large quantities needed, Tamiflu is the most effective treatment for swine flu.

Disclaimer: This posting is based on information freely available in the press and medical journals concerned with swine flu. Nothing in this posting is intended to be or should be taken to be medical advice. For medical advice you should consult with your physician.