Swine flu is just another form of the common flu, although this virus strain is normally identified with pigs.
The latest swine flu virus that has affected a lot of people and a lot of countries is however of a different kind, as it shows a combination of viruses previously seen in people, birds and pigs.
No one really gets a warning before being infected by the flu virus. But just like most illnesses, the swine flu virus is caused by factors that people should be aware of, so they can avoid the flu like the plague.
The respiratory tract plays a significant role in the transmission of the flu virus. Coughing and sneezing can transmit infected bodily fluids from one person to another, and this is being eyed as the mode of transmission of the new H1N1 virus. This is a far cry from the common notion that the virus is caused by eating pork.
World Health Organization official Keiji Fukuda said the spread of the virus has not been linked with eating pork or with close contact with pigs.
Caused by a Virus
Doctors have confirmed that a virus is causing the swine flu outbreak. In particular, it is the influenza H1N1 virus strain which is causing the infection. The letter H and N refers to the proteins on the virus which distinguishes a specific virus from the other subtypes.
While the world is not new to the influenza virus, the old virus has mutated and has changed its genes. The new swine flu virus is capable of being transmitted from person to person and is contagious. A person who has been infected by the virus can already infect others even before he develops the symptoms.
Mode of transmission
The virus is passed on from one person to another through coughing and sneezing. The germ which is released into the air can be transmitted to another person through the air they breathe and enter the body through the mouth, nose and eyes.
The virus can even be transmitted through ATM buttons, doorknobs and similar surfaces where the virus can rest. These hard surfaces can be a resting ground for the swine flu virus and when a person makes contact with this area, and then touches his eyes, nose or mouth, then the virus is transmitted.
Caused by pollution
There are also reports that the swine flu came as a result of water pollution, caused by a large hog processing company in the State of Veracruz in Perote, Mexico. A total of 27 million hogs are being slaughtered in this facility annually. The virus has travelled far and wide and has been detected in other countries and states including Australia, California and New York.
While the virus is commonly called swine flu, people are however cautioned against relating the virus to pigs and eating pork. For as long as meat products coming from pigs are cooked properly, it cannot infect people with the H1N1 flu virus. Knowing the swine flu causes is expected to improve the chances of mitigating the effects of the illness and in reducing the number of people infected by the
Thursday, October 22, 2009
How to Prevent Swine Flu - Special Tips to Boost Your Immune System Now
To prevent swine flu, many people think that wearing face masks and popping vitamin supplements will boost their immunity against the disease. However, many experts believe that we need to do more to keep swine flu at bay.
Wearing a face mask only stops an infected person from coughing and sneezing on other people. It does not stop germs from invading our bodies. Taking vitamin supplements will not help if we do not adopt a healthy lifestyle.
We are especially vulnerable to swine flu at the moment as the vaccine is not yet available. The best way to cope with swine flu is to boost our immune system.
Experts recommend the following tips to boost our immune system:
1) Going On A Healthy Diet
Experts recommend eating a balanced diet, with at least five to seven servings of fresh fruit and vegetables. Your daily diet should also include good protein and essential fatty acids. Salmon and eggs are excellent choices.
2) Exercise Thirty Minutes Daily, Five Times A Week
Experts have found out that during moderate exercise, immune cells circulate through the body more quickly and are able to locate and kill bacteria and viruses more promptly. After exercise ends, the immune system returns to normal after a few hours. But when you exercise regularly, the positive immune response your body exhibits appears more long-lasting.
3) Take Adequate Vitamin A and Vitamin C
Vitamin A is required to maintain tissues lining our lungs and digestive system. Sweet potatoes and carrots are excellent sources of Vitamin A. Vitamin C is an antioxidant which prevents inflammation of our tissue lining. Oranges and grapefruit are high in Vitamin C.
4) Get Sufficient Sleep
Our bodies have a chance to rejuvenate and undergo cell renewal when we sleep. This ensures that our immunity system is functioning at an optimum level at all times. We should also sleep in well-ventilated rooms.
5) Quit Smoking
Smoking compromises the respiratory system, making it more susceptible to attacks by flu viruses and other bacteria. Incidentally, by maintaining a healthy diet, a smoker is likely to cut down on cigarettes as a healthy diet spoils his or her taste for cigarettes. It will make quitting smoking easier.
6) Cleanse Your Blood
Cleanse and support the blood with garlic, tomato, spinach and nettle tea. Improve blood circulation with frequent dry skin brushing. This helps to reduce cellulite in women too.
Do you want additional free tips on how to cope with the current swine flu pandemic? Click on swine flu information for more details and updates.
Celine Yong hails from sunny Singapore. She is passionate about health and fitness. Visit her health and fitness blog for free today at http://howtobefitandhealthy.com At her blog, you will be able to read and benefit from the tips she has compiled from numerous health and fitness experts from both East and West.
Wearing a face mask only stops an infected person from coughing and sneezing on other people. It does not stop germs from invading our bodies. Taking vitamin supplements will not help if we do not adopt a healthy lifestyle.
We are especially vulnerable to swine flu at the moment as the vaccine is not yet available. The best way to cope with swine flu is to boost our immune system.
Experts recommend the following tips to boost our immune system:
1) Going On A Healthy Diet
Experts recommend eating a balanced diet, with at least five to seven servings of fresh fruit and vegetables. Your daily diet should also include good protein and essential fatty acids. Salmon and eggs are excellent choices.
2) Exercise Thirty Minutes Daily, Five Times A Week
Experts have found out that during moderate exercise, immune cells circulate through the body more quickly and are able to locate and kill bacteria and viruses more promptly. After exercise ends, the immune system returns to normal after a few hours. But when you exercise regularly, the positive immune response your body exhibits appears more long-lasting.
3) Take Adequate Vitamin A and Vitamin C
Vitamin A is required to maintain tissues lining our lungs and digestive system. Sweet potatoes and carrots are excellent sources of Vitamin A. Vitamin C is an antioxidant which prevents inflammation of our tissue lining. Oranges and grapefruit are high in Vitamin C.
4) Get Sufficient Sleep
Our bodies have a chance to rejuvenate and undergo cell renewal when we sleep. This ensures that our immunity system is functioning at an optimum level at all times. We should also sleep in well-ventilated rooms.
5) Quit Smoking
Smoking compromises the respiratory system, making it more susceptible to attacks by flu viruses and other bacteria. Incidentally, by maintaining a healthy diet, a smoker is likely to cut down on cigarettes as a healthy diet spoils his or her taste for cigarettes. It will make quitting smoking easier.
6) Cleanse Your Blood
Cleanse and support the blood with garlic, tomato, spinach and nettle tea. Improve blood circulation with frequent dry skin brushing. This helps to reduce cellulite in women too.
Do you want additional free tips on how to cope with the current swine flu pandemic? Click on swine flu information for more details and updates.
Celine Yong hails from sunny Singapore. She is passionate about health and fitness. Visit her health and fitness blog for free today at http://howtobefitandhealthy.com At her blog, you will be able to read and benefit from the tips she has compiled from numerous health and fitness experts from both East and West.
How Long Does Swine Flu Last?
Many people wonder how long swine flu lasts but as with many other disease it does depend upon the strength of the attack and whether other symptoms are present.
Essentially, just remember that swine flu is treatable and the earlier you get a diagnosis the better. Isn't it better to seek the opinion of a medical professional as early as possible rather than wait a few more days? If it is swine influenza you have caught it early, if it's not, then nothing lost. The visible basic swine flu symptoms can come and go in a matter of 5 days. However, for victims of the flu who have other complications and symptoms it can take up to 3 weeks or even longer in the very worst cases.
Worth noting is that swine flu if treated early and is free of other health problems (like unrelated respiratory disease) can be cured with regular medications which will also boost your immune system and make it less likely you will suffer a future attack. Although it must be said that since the flu affects various systems in one's body, some parts of the diseases consequence is not yet fully understood. And as ironic as it may sound, the more cases we see the quicker full treatments will become available - as each case has the potential to advance our knowledge of the disease.
Despite the contraction of swine flu being dangerous to health and indeed life, as stated previously it is treatable. It follows then that at the first sign of symptoms you must seek medical advice.
To learn more about the symptoms of swine flu and how long it lasts for you need to check this out, Swine Flu Facts It really is a book you should read, it's a no holds barred on the facts - facts you must know!
Essentially, just remember that swine flu is treatable and the earlier you get a diagnosis the better. Isn't it better to seek the opinion of a medical professional as early as possible rather than wait a few more days? If it is swine influenza you have caught it early, if it's not, then nothing lost. The visible basic swine flu symptoms can come and go in a matter of 5 days. However, for victims of the flu who have other complications and symptoms it can take up to 3 weeks or even longer in the very worst cases.
Worth noting is that swine flu if treated early and is free of other health problems (like unrelated respiratory disease) can be cured with regular medications which will also boost your immune system and make it less likely you will suffer a future attack. Although it must be said that since the flu affects various systems in one's body, some parts of the diseases consequence is not yet fully understood. And as ironic as it may sound, the more cases we see the quicker full treatments will become available - as each case has the potential to advance our knowledge of the disease.
Despite the contraction of swine flu being dangerous to health and indeed life, as stated previously it is treatable. It follows then that at the first sign of symptoms you must seek medical advice.
To learn more about the symptoms of swine flu and how long it lasts for you need to check this out, Swine Flu Facts It really is a book you should read, it's a no holds barred on the facts - facts you must know!
A-H1N1 Swine Flu Likely Originated in US Lab
When the first reported cases of A/H1N1 swine flu emerged in April 2009, it was widely believed that the novel influenza strain originated in Mexico. By late June, when evidence failed to materialize confirming a Mexican origin, a new theory hypothesized that A/H1N1 originated in Asia and was transported unintentionally via an unsuspecting human carrier to North America. This though, probably is not the case. Instead it is likely, though not confirmed, that A/H1N1, is a genetically engineered creation that originated in the United States, specifically in a lab in Madison, Wisconsin that had accidentally escaped through some kind of contamination.
The evidence for this scenario is compelling:
1. Prior to the A/H1N1 outbreak, The Institute for Molecular Virology (IMV) located in Bock Labs (administered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison) had been involved in a transmission capability study for vaccine production. This study involved reverse genetic engineering of a tissue specimen that had been extracted from a deceased Intuit woman who had succumbed to Spanish influenza that had killed up to 50 million people during the 1918-19 pandemic.
2. The current A/H1N1 version is a "highly unusual virus" never seen before that combines genetic material from North American human, avian, and swine flus and Eurasian swine flu.[1] Such a combination is unprecedented having never been found in pigs, birds, or people per The Associated Press, and likely improbable to have emerged naturally. When the fact that no close relatives of the current strain exist and IMV's mission - to conduct virology research and training at a molecular level - is taken into account, creation through artificial genetic engineering offers the best explanation.
3. Retired Australian researcher Adrian Gibbs, who played a leading role in the development of Tamiflu®, a highly-effective anti-flu drug, theorized on May 12, 2009 that the new strain of A/H1N1 likely escaped from a laboratory setting because it exhibited characteristics "of having undergone 'accelerated evolution' such as what happens when flu viruses try to adapt to growth in eggs" during vaccine studies.[2] Although The World Health Organization (WHO) swiftly ruled out Mr. Gibbs' theory a day later, it is implausible that sufficient research to ascertain a conclusion could be completed in only 24 hours.
4. When A/H1N1's existence had been firmly established in the United States by May 10, 2009, Wisconsin and Illinois had nearly a third of the country's cases. Since then Wisconsin has consistently led the nation despite its population of 5,627,967 based on July 2008 estimates versus the larger states - California, Texas, New York, Illinois and even Michigan with July 2008 populations of 36,755,666, 24,326,974, 19,490,297, 12,901,563 and 10,003,422, respectively. By June 12, 2009 when dispersion had set in, Wisconsin and Illinois still accounted for more than a quarter of U.S. cases. Demographically speaking this disproportionate caseload makes little sense. However, when Madison, WI is viewed as the point of origin, the two-State caseload provides incontrovertible evidence of the virus' inception. When A/H1N1 likely escaped from IMV, it immediately impacted the city's environs and nearby locales including Illinois (since a sizeable number of Wisconsinites commute to that state each day) before spreading to Mexico (likely transmitted by a U.S. national since Granja Carroll hog farms located in La Gloria where the first case of A/H1N1 is believed to have occurred, is a subsidiary of American-based Smithfield Foods), other parts of the United States and ultimately much of the rest of the world.
Centers For Disease Control (CDC) Bulletins:
5/10/2009: Wisconsin: 357 Cases (14.1% of the national caseload); Illinois: 466 Cases (18.4% of the national caseload)
6/12/2009: Wisconsin: 3008 Cases (16.8% of the national caseload); Illinois: 1983 Cases (11.1% of the national caseload)
5. To date the A/H1N1 2009 pandemic version of swine flu has not been found to be endemic in global pig stocks discounting natural mutation and initial pig to human transmission theories. Furthermore, none of the pig stocks in Wisconsin have tested positive for the novel A/H1N1 strain that currently afflicts the world.
6. Statements and actions point to prior knowledge. As early as April 25, 2009 when the new A/H1N1 strain was officially detected in only 3 states (11 cases), a top CDC official, Dr. Anne Schuchat stated, "We do not think we can contain the spread of this virus." By April 28, 2009 Vice President Joseph Biden ruled out quarantining Mexico citing limited benefits since "the swine flu virus [had] already penetrated many states" (64 cases in 5 states). An immediate quarantine when news of the A/H1N1 outbreak in Mexico surfaced on April 23, 2009 likely was not implemented because the CDC and top U.S. government officials had already been alerted about the accidental escape from IMV and consequent unconfirmed and unreported infections. A quarantine made little sense since cases were rapidly evolving in the United States and because such a step would likely have drawn suspicion when such cases were subsequently confirmed and reported.
7. Samples of the new A/H1N1 virus were already present at the CDC prior to receipt of Mexican specimens. Per CDC virologist Ruben Donis in an interview conducted by Science Direct (published April 29, 2009) - the CDC had completed sequencing of the novel A/H1N1 strain two weeks earlier or by April 15, 2009 - three days before Mexican officials shipped swab samples to its Atlanta headquarters for testing.
Based on the compelling facts above, conclusive evidence exists that the outbreak of A/H1N1 swine flu that has led to the WHO's first pandemic declaration in 41 years, was created synthetically and likely can be traced back to IMV's lab in Madison, WI. As a result, the moderate risk based on A/H1N1's characteristics and potential threat especially to a generation that has never endured a pandemic and those with pre-existing medical conditions (asthma and other respiratory disorders, diabetes, heart problems, immune deficiency disorders, and pregnancy, to name a few) whose immune systems are ill-prepared or equipped to recognize and combat the novel strain, respectively, must be taken seriously. At the writing of this article, this is not being done (e.g. The New York City Department of Health stated on its website as late as June 25, 2009 - "Most cases of influenza-like illness do not need to be tested for H1N1" even though seasonal influenza has disappeared for the summer, failure to isolate suspected emergency room cases facilitating contagion, etc.). Continued failure to do so may result in between 1 million (based on a .25% mortality rate on existing WHO estimates that up to a third of the world's population may be infected) to 25 million or more deaths since people will be treated much further into the illness (after serious complications have developed) and/or if the virus mutates into a more lethal form resulting in a 1+% mortality rate that is already being exhibited in Argentina, a country that has just entered the winter season.
The evidence for this scenario is compelling:
1. Prior to the A/H1N1 outbreak, The Institute for Molecular Virology (IMV) located in Bock Labs (administered by the University of Wisconsin-Madison) had been involved in a transmission capability study for vaccine production. This study involved reverse genetic engineering of a tissue specimen that had been extracted from a deceased Intuit woman who had succumbed to Spanish influenza that had killed up to 50 million people during the 1918-19 pandemic.
2. The current A/H1N1 version is a "highly unusual virus" never seen before that combines genetic material from North American human, avian, and swine flus and Eurasian swine flu.[1] Such a combination is unprecedented having never been found in pigs, birds, or people per The Associated Press, and likely improbable to have emerged naturally. When the fact that no close relatives of the current strain exist and IMV's mission - to conduct virology research and training at a molecular level - is taken into account, creation through artificial genetic engineering offers the best explanation.
3. Retired Australian researcher Adrian Gibbs, who played a leading role in the development of Tamiflu®, a highly-effective anti-flu drug, theorized on May 12, 2009 that the new strain of A/H1N1 likely escaped from a laboratory setting because it exhibited characteristics "of having undergone 'accelerated evolution' such as what happens when flu viruses try to adapt to growth in eggs" during vaccine studies.[2] Although The World Health Organization (WHO) swiftly ruled out Mr. Gibbs' theory a day later, it is implausible that sufficient research to ascertain a conclusion could be completed in only 24 hours.
4. When A/H1N1's existence had been firmly established in the United States by May 10, 2009, Wisconsin and Illinois had nearly a third of the country's cases. Since then Wisconsin has consistently led the nation despite its population of 5,627,967 based on July 2008 estimates versus the larger states - California, Texas, New York, Illinois and even Michigan with July 2008 populations of 36,755,666, 24,326,974, 19,490,297, 12,901,563 and 10,003,422, respectively. By June 12, 2009 when dispersion had set in, Wisconsin and Illinois still accounted for more than a quarter of U.S. cases. Demographically speaking this disproportionate caseload makes little sense. However, when Madison, WI is viewed as the point of origin, the two-State caseload provides incontrovertible evidence of the virus' inception. When A/H1N1 likely escaped from IMV, it immediately impacted the city's environs and nearby locales including Illinois (since a sizeable number of Wisconsinites commute to that state each day) before spreading to Mexico (likely transmitted by a U.S. national since Granja Carroll hog farms located in La Gloria where the first case of A/H1N1 is believed to have occurred, is a subsidiary of American-based Smithfield Foods), other parts of the United States and ultimately much of the rest of the world.
Centers For Disease Control (CDC) Bulletins:
5/10/2009: Wisconsin: 357 Cases (14.1% of the national caseload); Illinois: 466 Cases (18.4% of the national caseload)
6/12/2009: Wisconsin: 3008 Cases (16.8% of the national caseload); Illinois: 1983 Cases (11.1% of the national caseload)
5. To date the A/H1N1 2009 pandemic version of swine flu has not been found to be endemic in global pig stocks discounting natural mutation and initial pig to human transmission theories. Furthermore, none of the pig stocks in Wisconsin have tested positive for the novel A/H1N1 strain that currently afflicts the world.
6. Statements and actions point to prior knowledge. As early as April 25, 2009 when the new A/H1N1 strain was officially detected in only 3 states (11 cases), a top CDC official, Dr. Anne Schuchat stated, "We do not think we can contain the spread of this virus." By April 28, 2009 Vice President Joseph Biden ruled out quarantining Mexico citing limited benefits since "the swine flu virus [had] already penetrated many states" (64 cases in 5 states). An immediate quarantine when news of the A/H1N1 outbreak in Mexico surfaced on April 23, 2009 likely was not implemented because the CDC and top U.S. government officials had already been alerted about the accidental escape from IMV and consequent unconfirmed and unreported infections. A quarantine made little sense since cases were rapidly evolving in the United States and because such a step would likely have drawn suspicion when such cases were subsequently confirmed and reported.
7. Samples of the new A/H1N1 virus were already present at the CDC prior to receipt of Mexican specimens. Per CDC virologist Ruben Donis in an interview conducted by Science Direct (published April 29, 2009) - the CDC had completed sequencing of the novel A/H1N1 strain two weeks earlier or by April 15, 2009 - three days before Mexican officials shipped swab samples to its Atlanta headquarters for testing.
Based on the compelling facts above, conclusive evidence exists that the outbreak of A/H1N1 swine flu that has led to the WHO's first pandemic declaration in 41 years, was created synthetically and likely can be traced back to IMV's lab in Madison, WI. As a result, the moderate risk based on A/H1N1's characteristics and potential threat especially to a generation that has never endured a pandemic and those with pre-existing medical conditions (asthma and other respiratory disorders, diabetes, heart problems, immune deficiency disorders, and pregnancy, to name a few) whose immune systems are ill-prepared or equipped to recognize and combat the novel strain, respectively, must be taken seriously. At the writing of this article, this is not being done (e.g. The New York City Department of Health stated on its website as late as June 25, 2009 - "Most cases of influenza-like illness do not need to be tested for H1N1" even though seasonal influenza has disappeared for the summer, failure to isolate suspected emergency room cases facilitating contagion, etc.). Continued failure to do so may result in between 1 million (based on a .25% mortality rate on existing WHO estimates that up to a third of the world's population may be infected) to 25 million or more deaths since people will be treated much further into the illness (after serious complications have developed) and/or if the virus mutates into a more lethal form resulting in a 1+% mortality rate that is already being exhibited in Argentina, a country that has just entered the winter season.
Stress and Swine Flu - Why Reducing Stress May Be a Key Step You Must Take to Avoid Swine Flu
Are you stressed about the swine flu or the h1n1 flu? Or are you just stressed about whatever is going on in your life? It doesn't matter. Stress and swine flu are a bad mix. Read on to find out why and what you can do about it.
Stress weakens your immune system. And encountering a flu virus with such an impairment is making you a sitting duck. Don't sit still for that. You can lower your stress and increase your immune system's ability to fight incoming germs.
And even if you do get the swine flu, a strengthened immune system will have many benefits. Especially if you get it. Because it will help you fight off the virus and incapacitate it sooner rather than later. Not only that, but a stronger immune system may prevent opportunistic secondary infections that could take what otherwise might just be a nuisance and make it potentially deadly.
Of course there are many things you can do to strengthen your resistance to illness. You can make sure you're well rested. You can eat well and exercise. You can lead a happy life.
But you know what? Some of these are difficult to do when you are too stressed. You may find you're not sleeping well when you worry about things. And your support system can get tired of your worrywart ways and might start to avoid you or become much less supportive.
So dealing with the stress in your life can really be a key part of bolstering your immune system, and in turn, for avoiding the H1N1 swine flu. After all, that way it will be better at fighting off the swine flu -- or any other kind of flu for that matter.
So what can you do about your stress? Pick some of your favorite stress management strategies and use them on a daily basis. Here are a few tips to get you started:
Start by doing some deep breathing. Get some exercise on a regular basis. Listen to soothing music. Talk to your friends and family, and get regular hugs. And stop worrying about the swine flu.
And then pick up some information on stress management strategies, select a few things you're willing to do on a regular basis, and then do them
Stress weakens your immune system. And encountering a flu virus with such an impairment is making you a sitting duck. Don't sit still for that. You can lower your stress and increase your immune system's ability to fight incoming germs.
And even if you do get the swine flu, a strengthened immune system will have many benefits. Especially if you get it. Because it will help you fight off the virus and incapacitate it sooner rather than later. Not only that, but a stronger immune system may prevent opportunistic secondary infections that could take what otherwise might just be a nuisance and make it potentially deadly.
Of course there are many things you can do to strengthen your resistance to illness. You can make sure you're well rested. You can eat well and exercise. You can lead a happy life.
But you know what? Some of these are difficult to do when you are too stressed. You may find you're not sleeping well when you worry about things. And your support system can get tired of your worrywart ways and might start to avoid you or become much less supportive.
So dealing with the stress in your life can really be a key part of bolstering your immune system, and in turn, for avoiding the H1N1 swine flu. After all, that way it will be better at fighting off the swine flu -- or any other kind of flu for that matter.
So what can you do about your stress? Pick some of your favorite stress management strategies and use them on a daily basis. Here are a few tips to get you started:
Start by doing some deep breathing. Get some exercise on a regular basis. Listen to soothing music. Talk to your friends and family, and get regular hugs. And stop worrying about the swine flu.
And then pick up some information on stress management strategies, select a few things you're willing to do on a regular basis, and then do them
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)