The Swine Flu Epidemic – How Dangerous is It?
The swine flu epidemic is spreading rapidly and is now officially a pandemic, the first for forty years. It is a respiratory disease and is caused by H1N1, a strain of influenza. It originated in pigs, hence the name, but is now a human disease.
The Symptoms
These are usually similar to the flu we are all so familiar including sore throat, cough, fever, aches and chills and fatigue.It is spread by skin contact, coughing and sneezing so washing the hands and covering the nose when sneezing is, as always, good practise. At present there is no vaccine but one should be available by the end of August. Tamiflu is effective and there are adequate stockpiles available.
How Can I Avoid Infection?
Try to avoid contact with anyone who has any of the above symptom. Always wash hands frequently with soap and water and clean hard surfaces regularly. Cover the mouth when coughing or sneezing and dispose of any tissues used properly. The use of masks is common in some countries but many experts believe this has little effect.
Is Swine Flu Dangerous?
Most cases of swine flu are mild although the diarrhoea that may accompany it more common than in the usual flu cases. Most people recover without the use of anti-flu drugs such as Tamiflu. As it is mild up to one third of people who are infected won’t even realise it as they will have few if any symptoms. Around 90% of infected people will recover fully without hospital treatment so there is no need to panic says Peter Openshaw, of Imperial College London. However there is a fear the virus may mutate into a more virulent form which would be more of a threat.
Are There Effective Treatments?
Tamiflu and Relenza are both effective treatments but should but be taken if you do not have symptoms in the hope of preventing infection. This could result in the virus developing resistance to these drugs. The drugs should be taken in the early stages of infection and can reduce the risk of the infection being passed on to others.
Read more at the BBC
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