Swine Flu And Bird Flu, What Precautions You Can Take And Which Treatments Are Available

We are today (more and more|more} at risk from the various strains of the flu virus. First we had scares over the bird flu virus, and recently swine flu has become a latest concern. Swine flu is more serious than bird flu was. It was feared that bird flu could mutate into a strain that would effect humans, apart from a few cases, this situation did not materialize. Swine flu is of much more worry, the swine flu virus is able to spread between humans making it a very serious threat.

Swine flu, or to be more correct influenza A (H1N1), is a disease that infects pigs, it is caused by a flu virus. Outbreaks of swine flu in pigs is is common but is rarely fatal. In the past, swine flu doesn’t normally infect humans, but it can happen occasionally.

Swine flu is extremely dangerous as it is a new strain of the flu virus. The problem is no one has been exposed to this particular strain of flu before, therefore no one has developed any immunity. It is our immunity that stops diseases from becoming life threatening, with no immunity to swine flu we are at the mercy of the virus. Absolutely everyone is vulnerable, this includes healthy adults as well as young children and the elderly.

The real worry is what will happen when winter arrives. This is the period when the swine flu virus may spread quickly causing a flu pandemic with the possibility of over half the population being affected.

The symptoms of swine flu are similar to the symptoms of ordinary flu. These include a sudden,sudden onset of fever, cough, shortness of breath. Other symptoms can include headache, sore throat, muscle aches, chills, sneezing, runny nose, appetite loss and tiredness.

Precautions First, anyone with the symptoms of a cold or flu should to take a few simple, but most important precautions. The flu virus is spread between humans from the droplets from the mouth and nose when someone coughs or sneezes. This is the way viruses such as swine flu are spread from person to person. Holding your face with your hands when you cough or sneeze is not enough. The germs then live on your hands, and everything you touch afterwards becomes contaminated. Anyone then touching the same place as you will pick up the virus and then risks becoming infected themselves. Therefore, always use a handkerchief or tissue. A tissue is better, this should be disposed of safely as soon as you can, and always use a new tissue if you sneeze or cough again.

There are currently no vaccinations to stop anyone catching swine flu. Swine flu is a new type of virus and isn’t the same as seasonal flu. The annual vaccination against the usual seasonal flu isn’t effective against the swine flu virus. Once the strain of flu causing swine flu is identified, it will take many months to produce. By which time, it may have changed into a different strain.

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

You can however buy Tamiflu online, so if the situation arises you can treat yourself and your family. It cannot be emphasized strongly enough, Tamiflu has to be taken as early as possible to be effective, any delays in treating the virus will greatly reduce the effectiveness of Tamiflu. If you are at a increased risk due to your situation, such as For example living in a busy city with a large population or working in a busy open plan office, then it may be prudent to buy Tamiflu before the winter flu season starts. If you live in the country and do not have close contact with many people then of course you will be at a lower risk.

Remember that swine flu is a worldwide 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 large worldwide demand.

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

Disclaimer: This post is based on information freely available in the press and medical articles related to swine flu. Nothing in this posting is intended to be or should be taken to be any sort of medical advice. For medical advice you should consult with your doctor.