Tag: Flu Viruses

H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu)

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. Swine flu is a type of virus infected from pigs. Humans do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen.

But, randomly, the human race got infected with Swine flu. 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 swine 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 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 that spread out worldwide.

An Introduction To Swine Flu

Swine Flu-Is a respiratory track infection from the hogs. This kind of virus can kill the human race. This infection is a worldwide virus outbreak. A flu deadly disease occurs when a new influenza virus emerges for which people have little or no immunity and for which there is no vaccine. Those whom their hospitals are more than 10 miles from their community can easily infected with the Swine Flu.

The disease spreads easily person-to-person, and can be cause with serious illness, and can spread out across the country and even worldwide in a very short span of time. An influenza pandemic may be caused by either swine (pig) or avian (bird) flu viruses.

Swine flu viruses do not normally infect humans. But, randomly, the human race got infected with Swine flu. 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).

Human-to-human transmission of Swine flu can also occur. 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.

Some think that swine flu can also get from foods we eat. Take note that influenza viruses are not transmitted by food. You cannot get the influenza virus by means of eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork is safe. Proper cooking of pork or pork products with an internal temperature of 160F will kill the swine flu virus as it does with other bacteria and viruses.

Fever, lethargy, lack of appetite, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and coughing are some of the following symptoms of swine flu in people.

In diagnosing influenza infection, a respiratory specimen would generally need to be collected within the first 3 to 4 days of illness (when an infected person is most likely to be contagious). However, some persons, especially children, may be infectious for 10 days or longer.

If you get sick, there are two antiviral drugs (Tamiflu and Relenza) available with prescription can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious influenza complications. In treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started as soon after getting sick as possible, and might not work if started more than 2 days after illness starts.

There are a number of things that you can do to prepare yourself and those around you for a flu pandemic. It is important to think about the challenges that you might face, particularly if an epidemic is rigorous.

The effects of a pandemic can be lessened if preparation is made ahead of time. Planning and preparation information and checklists are being prepared for various sectors of society, including information for individuals and families.

Different agencies are providing funding, advice, and other support from different rich nations to every country to assist with Swine Flu epidemic planning and preparation. Reading articles like this can help you plan against the spreading of the Swine Flu.

The Phases of Swine Flu

A process that happens if two different types of influenza virus infected a single cell and it can produce a new strain of influenza is called re-assortment. It will act as a “mixing vessel” in which re-assortment can occur between flu viruses of several species such as pigs are prone to influenza viruses that can also infect both humans and birds. This is because if the virus allows pieces of RNA from different viruses to mix together and form a novel type of virus as a new virus particles are being assembled from a virus splitting between eight independent pieces of RNA.

On the other hand, the World Health Organization raised the pandemic alert level from phase four to phase five, signaling that a pandemic is “imminent”.

To know more about different phases of Swine Flu as defined by the WHO, I enlisted six of them” defined by the WHO:

If a virus circulated among animals but there are no reported cases of infections to humans will fall under phase one. An example of this phase is an outbreak of flu symptoms in your hog race backyard.
In phase two there is an identified animal flu virus and caused infections to human, and it will be considered a potential pandemic threat.

An example is when the owner either the child or an adult within the hog race backyard got infected with a flu from their animal symptoms.
Phase 3 specified that a confirmed animal or human-animal flu virus has caused small outbreaks in human race, but has not resulted in human-to-human transmission that is sufficient to sustain community-level outbreaks. An example in this phase is when a child within the hog race backyard got infected together with his father, his mother and his siblings.

Radically in Phase 4, 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. The United Nations will then inform different countries asking to advice their people such as traveling to containment areas. All countries with infected with the swine flu must also consider in deploying a pandemic vaccine. An example of this when the infected family member went out from their backyard decided to talk to his friends and unaware that hes spreading the virus.

In the 5th phase, if there are at least two countries in one region and spread the virus by means of human-to-human transmission. The signal of the pandemic is imminently strong. The infected countries are required to advise people with respiratory illnesses to stay home. There should be an advisory of suspension of classes. An example of this is when a man-infected virus either a family member or any of his friends travel to another neighboring country.

The sixth and final phase also called the pandemic phase. A pandemic phase is just like a spread of virus in phase 5 but extended at least one other country outside their geographic region. There must be an implementation of contingency plans of health systems in all levels. An example of this is when a man-infected virus travel to another continent.

Whatever phases of Swine Flu outbreak, we are experiencing in our country or geographic region we must prepare and prevent it to spread to lessen the death toll.

Swine Flu: The New Pandemic

Everyone’s all abuzz with panic nowadays it seems. That’s mostly because after SARS and bird flu, another new strain of virus has managed to rear its head. The H1N1 influenza virus, more popularly known as the swine flu, exploded on to the global scene last April via a large-scale infection in Mexico City.

I think everyone’s seen the images on CNN a thousand time. Surgical-masked Mexicans crowding the hospitals with worrisome shots of full hospital beds.The Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization raised their alert levels in hopes of catching and cutting off the infection at the bud, but it seems that cases have been reported all over the world. It seems that the current fatalities from disease are from Mexico but everyone is just expecting for the other shoe to drop.

To understand all of this panic, ypou need to have a little background. Influenza, or more popularly known as the flu, is probably one of the most infectious diseases out there. Airborne and highly contagious, it could spread like wildfire all across the world. Now you’re asking what’s the matter with a few people getting a bit of sniffles? That’s because this isn’t your ordinary flu.

A lot of the flu viruses we are exposed to have been in the human system for hundreds of years. We’ve managed to build an immunity to these strains. The big problem that’s got everyone running scared is the idea that a flu strain has crossed species. This is what happened with the bird flu and now, with the swine flu. The pigs and birds have also built up resistances to these diseases, however, since humans are not used to them, these strains of flu have a very large potential of being fatal.

The last time a large-scale flu epidemic raged around the world, electricity was just coming into vogue and cars were all Model Ts. The Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918 literally set the bar for every modern disease in terms of casualties. Fifty to a hundred million people worldwide died over a period of two years from 1918 to 1920 as the disease spread worldwide. Following on the heels of the Great War, it was a one-two punch that killed an entire generation of young men and women. What everyone’s afraid of is this: the 1918 epidemic was a subtype of the H1N1 flu virus, the same virus that seems to have crossed over and become a real threat to humans.

This is why the CDC is keeping a close watch on Mexico and hoping all of the subsidiary cases worldwide aren’t indications of the beginning of some worldwide epidemic. The good news about this is that the disease is treatable. Medicine and vaccine production alerts have been sent out by the CDC and most pharmaceutical companies have started churning out oseltamivir and zanamivir.

The problem with that is the demand may outstrip the supply depending on the swine flu’s virulence. More common antiviral drugs are also available but they’re not exactly definitive cures. They serve to weaken the symptoms and give you a fighting chance and prevent some of the worse flu symptoms like diarrhea and vomiting.

So as the world waits and watches the situation in Mexico, it would be a good idea to take a few precautions. Regular hand washes and vitamins can help make sure you avoid the initial infection of the swine flu. Avoiding pork’s not needed though. Swine flu can’t be transmitted through food. Remember to just a take a few preventive measures and you can come through clean and healthy.