Introduction
Technically, the term "swine flu" refers to influenza in pigs. Occasionally, pigs transmit influenza viruses to people, mainly to hog farmers and veterinarians. Less often, someone infected passes the infection to others.
The human respiratory infection caused by a particular influenza virus H1N1 strain — popularly known as swine flu — was first recognized in spring 2009. A few months after the first swine flu cases were reported, rates of confirmed H1N1-related illness were increasing in much of the world. As a result, the World Health Organization declared the infection a global pandemic.
The pandemic was declared over in August 2010. Currently, H1N1 is still circulating in humans as a seasonal flu virus and is included in the seasonal flu vaccine.
Signs and symptoms
Swine flu signs and symptoms in humans are similar to those of other flu strains:
- Fever
- Cough
- Sore throat
- Runny or stuffy nose
- Body aches
- Headache
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
Swine flu symptoms develop about one to three days after you're exposed to the virus and continue for about seven days.
when to see the doctor
It's not necessary to see a doctor if you're generally healthy and develop flu signs and symptoms, such as fever, cough and body aches. Call your doctor, however, if you have flu symptoms and you're pregnant or you have a chronic disease, such as emphysema or a heart condition.
Transmission
Swine influenza (novel H1N1 and H3N2v) spreads from person to person, either by inhaling the virus or by touching surfaces contaminated with the virus, then touching the mouth or nose. Infected droplets are expelled into the air through coughing or sneezing. H3N2v does not spread as easily from person to person as H1N1. This poor transmission rate is likely why there have been so few individuals infected with H3N2v.
Research suggested that H1N1 swine influenza is about as contagious as the usual human influenza. If one person in a household gets swine flu, anywhere from 8%-19% of household contacts likely will get infected. Reports from the southern hemisphere suggest that swine influenza caused slightly more infections than would be normal for an influenza season.
However, the newest swine flu virus, H3H2v, is not being spread very easily from human to human. The majority of infections to date occurred as a result of the swine virus H3N2v being transmitted directly from pigs to humans, since most of the reported infected people were associated with pig farms or state fairs with pigs as predominant competition entries. However, the CDC is concerned because this situation could easily change if H3N2v acquires genes that allow easy viral transmission between humans.
Treatment
laboratory testing has shown that the 2009 swine influenza strain is sensitive to two antiviral medicines that are used to treat human influenza. They are oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). Oseltamivir is given in pill form. Zanamivir is an inhaled medication. Both medications require a prescription. The drugs should be given to people who appear to have swine influenza if they have chronic medical conditions that put them at risk for complications (see above) or if they are unusually ill. These drugs can be used for patients with either H1N1 or H3N2v infections. A few drug-resistant H1N1strains have been reported, but most swine flu strains remain sensitive. Older drugs like amantadine(Symmetrel) are not effectivePrevention
Simple measures have been shown to reduce the risk of transmission of influenza. These include frequent hand washing with soap and water or disinfection with alcohol. People should try to avoid touching their face or mucous membranes. The influenza virus can live about two hours on surfaces that become contaminated. During coughs and sneezes, the mouth should be covered with a tissue or a sleeve. In areas with large numbers of cases, it is best to minimize nonessential exposure to crowds. Sick people should stay home whenever possible.
To reduce the risk of spreading the flu to other family members, everyone in the household should wash their hands frequently. Alcohol-based sanitizing gels are available in stores and may be used instead of soap and water when hands are not visibly soiled.
For
medical MCQ
Laxman
Dhakal
e-mail:- lmd.bibash@gmail.com
