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[sabaijai]

Swine Influenza and You
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. Swine flu viruses have been reported to spread from person-to-person, but in the past, this transmission was limited and not sustained beyond three people.

Are there human infections with swine flu in the U.S.?
In late March and early April 2009, cases of human infection with swine influenza A (H1N1) viruses were first reported in Southern California and near San Antonio, Texas. Other U.S. states have reported cases of swine flu infection in humans and cases have been reported internationally as well. An updated case count of confirmed swine flu infections in the United States is kept at http://www.cdc.gov/s...vestigation.htm CDC and local and state health agencies are working together to investigate this situation.


Is this swine flu virus contagious? CDC has determined that this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. However, at this time, it not known how easily the virus spreads between people.

What are the signs and symptoms of swine flu in people?
The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhea and vomiting associated with swine flu. In the past, severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions.

How does swine flu spread?
Spread of this swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

How can someone with the flu infect someone else?
Infected people may be able to infect others beginning 1 day before symptoms develop and up to 7 or more days after becoming sick. That means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

What should I do to keep from getting the flu?
First and most important: wash your hands. Try to stay in good general health. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food. Try not touch surfaces that may be contaminated with the flu virus. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

Are there medicines to treat swine flu?
Yes. CDC recommends the use of oseltamivir or zanamivir for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with these swine influenza viruses. Antiviral drugs are prescription medicines (pills, liquid or an inhaler) that fight against the flu by keeping flu viruses from reproducing in your body. If you get sick, antiviral drugs can make your illness milder and make you feel better faster. They may also prevent serious flu complications. For treatment, antiviral drugs work best if started soon after getting sick (within 2 days of symptoms).

How long can an infected person spread swine flu to others?People with swine influenza virus infection should be considered potentially contagious as long as they are symptomatic and possible for up to 7 days following illness onset. Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

What surfaces are most likely to be sources of contamination?
Germs can be spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. Germs can be spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from another person on a surface like a desk and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands.

How long can viruses live outside the body?
We know that some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours or longer on surfaces like cafeteria tables, doorknobs, and desks. Frequent handwashing will help you reduce the chance of getting contamination from these common surfaces.

What can I do to protect myself from getting sick?
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against swine flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza. Take these everyday steps to protect your health:


Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
If you get sick with influenza, CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.
What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?

If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

What is the best way to keep from spreading the virus through coughing or sneezing?
If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. Do not go to work or school if ill. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands, and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

What is the best technique for washing my hands to avoid getting the flu?
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Wash with soap and water. or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner. we recommend that when you wash your hands -- with soap and warm water -- that you wash for 15 to 20 seconds. When soap and water are not available, alcohol-based disposable hand wipes or gel sanitizers may be used. You can find them in most supermarkets and drugstores. If using gel, rub your hands until the gel is dry. The gel doesn't need water to work; the alcohol in it kills the germs on your hands.

What should I do if I get sick?
If you live in areas where swine influenza cases have been identified and become ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you may want to contact their health care provider, particularly if you are worried about your symptoms. Your health care provider will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

If you are sick, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people as much as possible to keep from spreading your illness to others.

If you become ill and experience any of the following warning signs, seek emergency medical care.

In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:

Fast breathing or trouble breathing
Bluish skin color
Not drinking enough fluids
Not waking up or not interacting
Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held
Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough
Fever with a rash
In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include:
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
Sudden dizziness
Confusion
Severe or persistent vomiting

How serious is swine flu infection?
Like seasonal flu, swine flu in humans can vary in severity from mild to severe. Between 2005 until January 2009, 12 human cases of swine flu were detected in the U.S. with no deaths occurring. However, swine flu infection can be serious. In September 1988, a previously healthy 32-year-old pregnant woman in Wisconsin was hospitalized for pneumonia after being infected with swine flu and died 8 days later. A swine flu outbreak in Fort Dix, New Jersey occurred in 1976 that caused more than 200 cases with serious illness in several people and one death.

Can I get swine influenza from eating or preparing pork?
No. Swine influenza viruses are not spread by food. You cannot get swine influenza from eating pork or pork products. Eating properly handled and cooked pork products is safe.

Source: Center for Disease Control
http://www.cdc.gov/s...wineflu_you.htm

[hankorstanje]

Swine flu pandemic: What does it mean?

Why do we now have a swine flu pandemic? Has H1N1 flu turned out to be much worse than expected?

Answer

<H5 style="LINE-HEIGHT: 120%; MARGIN: 0cm 0cm 11.25pt; BACKGROUND: white">from James M. Steckelberg, M.D.</H5>It's not actually worse, just — as predicted — much more widespread than it was in May. That's why the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the influenza pandemic alert — an official public-health warning that a new influenza virus is spreading rapidly in all parts of the world — to 6, which is the highest level. When the WHO issued the swine flu pandemic alert, almost 71,000 cases had been reported worldwide in 74 countries. At least as many cases likely remained unreported.

A World Health Organization phase 6 pandemic indicates that influenza due to the new strain has now occurred in multiple countries around the world and that human infection is widespread. The classification does not reflect the severity of individual infections.

The new alert level is notable now because:

§           The chain of person-to-person transmission is no longer clear in some countries, so it's prudent to halt the expensive and time-consuming process of testing all suspected cases.

§           Most cases so far have been in developed countries, with facilities for testing and tracking infection. Early surveillance in these countries confirmed that this strain of influenza A is a new one, and virologists have isolated segments of viral material that can be used in vaccine development.

§           The swine flu H1N1 virus is now globally widespread at the community level.

§           The groups most severely affected differ from those who typically develop seasonal flu complications.

§           Rates of severe illness and death are likely to increase as novel swine flu H1N1 spreads in the developing world, not because the virus will be more dangerous, but because more people are vulnerable due to impoverished living conditions and pre-existing chronic diseases.

Can I catch swine flu from eating pork?

No. Swine flu is spread like any other respiratory disease, via droplets from sneezes and coughs. You can breathe in these droplets or become infected by touching a contaminated surface and then touching your eyes or mouth.

Definition

The recent outbreak of what is being called swine flu involves a new H1N1 type A influenza strain that's a genetic combination of swine, avian and human influenza viruses. It's capable of spreading from human to human.

In June 2009, based on its wide spread to many nations, the World Health Organization declared the swine flu outbreak a global pandemic.

This new swine flu strain is being called by a number of names, including: swine-origin influenza A, swine influenza A (H1N1), influenza A/California/H1N1, swine origin influenza virus, North American flu and influenza A (H1N1).

History

It's worth looking back a bit in history. We have sort of three points in time to understand or interpret this with, the most severe being 1918 that was also an H1N1 virus, though of avian origin in that case, so a different strain of H1N1, and that caused an estimated 50 million to 100 million deaths around the world. We had another pandemic in 1957 that killed about 70,000 Americans. That would be equivalent to a bad seasonal year nowadays. And then we had another pandemic in 1968, which was very mild. It killed about 40,000 people, which is about how many, in the U.S., that's about how many Americans die each year of seasonal flu. So you see that we've sort of, we think, seen the extremes of the spectrum from relatively mild, like 1968, to the most severe we know about in recorded modern history, 1918, and there's no way to predict which way this virus is going to go at this point in time.



29 juni 2009
Consultant.

<H1 style="MARGIN: 12pt 0cm 3pt">Novel H1N1 Influenza Continues to Spread in United States </H1>

More than 1 million persons in the United States may have been infected with novel H1N1 (swine) influenza virus, according to US health officials. In a recent media briefing, Dr Anne Schuchat, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC, noted that the infection is continuing to spread well past the typical influenza season in the Northern Hemisphere. The 6000 new cases reported last week represent the largest 1-week increase since the start of the outbreak in April.



Official reports:

27,717 cases

127 deaths

United states



The World Health Organization reported as to June 29, 2009 09:00 GMT there were 70,893 cases of the Influenza A/H1N1 spread throughout the world.

The number of deaths by the flu now sum 311

How does novel H1N1 flu compare to seasonal flu in terms of its severity and infection rates?

With seasonal flu, we know that seasons vary in terms of timing, duration and severity. Seasonal influenza can cause mild to severe illness, and at times can lead to death. Each year, in the United States, on average 36,000 people die from flu-related complications and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related causes. Of those hospitalized, 20,000 are children younger than 5 years old. Over 90% of deaths and about 60 percent of hospitalization occur in people older than 65.

So far, with novel H1N1 flu, the largest number of novel H1N1 flu confirmed and probable cases have occurred in people between the ages of 5 and 24-years-old. At this time, there are few cases and no deaths reported in people older than 64 years old, which is unusual when compared with seasonal flu.  However, pregnancy and other previously recognized high risk medical conditions from seasonal influenza appear to be associated with increased risk of complications from this novel H1N1.

How does novel H1N1 virus spread?
Spread of novel H1N1 virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

How long can an infected person spread this virus to others?
At the current time, CDC believes that this virus has the same properties in terms of spread as seasonal flu viruses. With seasonal flu, studies have shown that people may be contagious from one day before they develop symptoms to up to 7 days after they get sick.  Children, especially younger children, might potentially be contagious for longer periods.

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/qa.htm