What You Should Know About The Swine Flu Virus, The Precautions That Can Be Taken And What Treatments Are Available

We are ever more at a greater risk from various strains of the flu virus than we have been for a long time. First we had alarms over bird flu, but recently swine flu has manifested as a major problem. Swine flu is a greater concern than bird flu. It was a worry that bird flu may mutate into a form that would become infectious in humans, thankfully, apart from a few isolated cases, this has not materialized so far.

Swine flu is a greater problem, it has the ability to pass from person to person which makes it a very serious threat.  Swine flu (influenza A (H1N1)) is an influenza virus which infects pigs. Outbreaks of swine flu in pigs doesn’t usually infect people although it can occur sometimes.

Swine flu is a new type of virus and is therefore particularly dangerous to people. This means that no one has been in contact with this strain previously, which means no one has developed any immunity to this virus. With no inbuilt immunity a disease can be life threatening because our bodies are unable to defend against the virus. Absolutely everyone is susceptible, this includes healthy adults and teenagers as well as children and the elderly.

Swine flu can easily give rise to a pandemic flu situation. Pandemic flu occurs when an influenza virus develops that is dissimilar to previous flu strains that few, if any, humans have any immunity to. This allows the flu virus to spread rapidly throughout the population.

Pandemic flu differs from seasonal flu as explained below.  ordinary influenza occurs annually during the winter period, 10 to 15 percent of people are infected and the majority of people recover within 1 to 2 weeks without medical treatment. Ordinary flu is usually only risky to the elderly and those with diseases that make them more vulnerable to complications from an infection.

Pandemic flu affects more people, up to half the population can be affected, pandemic flu is far more serious, all ages of people may be infected.

Swine flu symptoms are very similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu. Symptoms include a sudden onset of a fever, cough or a shortness of breath. Symptoms that may be present may include headache, sore throats, aching muscles, sneezing, chills, a runny nose, loss of appetite and tiredness.

Precautions that can be taken. First, anyone with cold or flu symptoms needs to take some easy, but very important precautions. The influenza virus is spread between humans by the tiny droplets from the mouth and nose when someone sneezes or coughs. This is the way viruses are spread from person to person. Using your hands to cover your nose or mouth when you sneeze or cough is not enough. The germs simply sit on your hands, and everything you touch becomes contaminated. Anyone who the touches the same place as you will pick up the virus and become infected. Therefore, always use a handkerchief or disposable tissue. A disposable tissue is far better, this should be disposed of safely as soon as possible, and always use a fresh tissue when you cough or sneeze again.

There are currently no vaccinations available to prevent anyone contracting swine flu. Swine flu is an unknown type of virus. Therefore the annual vaccination against the normal seasonal flu is not effective for swine flu. When the strain of flu causing swine flu is identified, it will then take many months to produce. By this time, it may well have mutated into a different type again.

The only effective precaution you can take against swine flu is Tamiflu. Tamiflu isn’t guaranteed to prevent flu, but if you have been in contact with someone else who has the flu virus, it can help to stop the virus making you sick. If Tamiflu is administered in the first 2 days of acquiring the flu virus, Tamiflu can help to stop the virus from spreading through the body, thereby alleviating the signs and symptoms and risk associated with the swine flu virus. Governments are stocking up on Tamiflu, these supplies will naturally be used to treat key workers and individuals before the general population.

can buy Tamiflu online, if the situation occurs you are able to give as much protection as is possible to yourself and loved ones. It can’t be emphasized enough, Tamiflu needs to be administered as soon as possible for it to be effective, delays in treatment will reduce how effective Tamiflu is.

Also, remember that swine flu is a worldwide problem. Should an outbreak become global it is a possibility that the supplies of Tamiflu could become diminished and may not meet a huge worldwide demand.  Until a vaccine is found and produced in the amounts needed, Tamiflu is the only really effective treatment for swine flu, it is sensible to buy Tamiflu beforehand if you think you could be at risk.

Disclaimer: This article is based on information that is freely available in {the popular#the} media and medical articles related to swine flu. Nothing in this post is intended to be or should be construed to be any sort of medical advice. For medical advice you are advised to consult with your own doctor.