Swine Flu - Worrying Outbreak

Swine flu is an extremely infectious respiratory disease which usually affects pigs but has now spread to humans raising a major health scare across the world.

Swine flu was first detected when a large number of people in Mexico began falling sick showing symptoms of normal flu and the death toll kept rising. More and more confirmed cases are being reported from across the world and this has the WHO extremely worried about the situation which has increased its pandemic alert phase to `phase 5.` It is referring to swine flu as a `public health emergency of international concern`.

Swine flu is a highly contagious respiratory disease typically affecting pigs and is caused by type A virus or H1N1 virus. If not treated timely, it can be fatal resulting in death. It was rare that this virus would affect humans, though cases were not unheard of in the past but even then, it would not spread beyond two or three people. But, now, the current strain affecting humans is a new variant of the H1N1 virus which is a mix of animal and human viruses. This mutated virus makes the flu spread from person to person making it very difficult to handle because humans do not have any natural immunity against this.

The transmission of this disease from human-to-human is extremely worrying as swine flu spreads like the normal flu when an infected person sneezes or coughs in the company of other people. The infected fluid lands on surfaces or hands or gets dispersed into the air. So, anyone who makes contacts with the infected person`s hands or touches any infected surface and then touches his own nose or mouth or eyes stands at risk of exposure to that virus. Breathing the contaminated air also exposes that person to the virus.

The problem with swine flu is that it exhibits the same symptoms as the normal human flu and can be easily mistaken for the same thus delaying the right treatment and which can prove fatal. The symptoms include cough, cold, headaches, joint pain, muscles pain, sore throat and running nose, vomiting and lack of appetite, lethargy, fever and diarrhea. Recent reports indicate that vomiting and dizziness are more often associated with this particular type of flu strain.

The only way to deal with this situation is to exercise caution and try and minimize your chances of getting affected by this disease. Attempt to avoid close contact with people exhibiting flu-like symptoms like cough or cold or if they are running temperature and generally appear sick. The importance of washing hands frequently with soap and water cannot be over-emphasized in this situation. Avoiding over-crowded public places is another way of attempting to keep this disease at bay.

If you do find yourself with a fever, sore throat or cold and cough, please stay at home and rest. Using disposable tissues for covering mouth or nose every time you cough or sneeze and then disposing of them hygienically is another way of preventing the virus from spreading. It is imperative to avoid contact with people but family and friends should be informed. Any outing to public places or using public transport like buses, trains, cars or airplanes should be strictly avoided. This is part of the personal responsibility of each individual should he show symptoms of swine flu. Anti-viral drugs like Tamiflu which are known to combat swine-flu may be prescribed by your doctor.

Until the swine flu scare passes, the best way to protect yourself and your family is to wash hands often and be alert to any flu-like symptoms and consult a doctor immediately.