The Swine Flu H1N1

H1N1 Flu is taking world by fear and panic

Let's Stop Swine Flu!

H1N1 is commonly referred to as Swine Flu. But this time, there is no proof of this flu being transmitted from pigs and so World Health Organization has decided to call it as H1N1. The virus responsible for this swine flu is H1N1 Influenza virus which is being spread from one person to another throughout the world at a very alarming rate. The death rate is even more threatening.

Don’t be Panic…H1N1 is not a new guest!

H1N1 Flu (Swin1 Flu) History

H1N1 is not a new disease. It has a history of over a century. The world has been hardly hit by the dangerous flu H1N1 Influenza many times and following are the details..

• 1918 Flu pandemic: In 1918, 50-100 million of people died due to H1N1. Then it was thought to be spread through pigs, but the exact origin of the 1918 strain remains elusive. It was estimated that almost 1/3 total world population died during the first show of H1N1 which lasted for almost 2 years
• 1956 Asia Fever: The second phase of Swine Flu appeared in China and Singapore in 1956 which had its shadows for 2 years and killed more than 2 million people. As this was limited to Asia it was called as “Asia fever”
• 1976 U.S. outbreak: This time, H1N1 virus had its first stamp on US army officials and later it was spread to others. US government carried out Vaccination program in 1976 wherein approximately 40 million people had received swine flu immunizations. But the same day three senior citizens were died even after receiving flu immunizations and there was a media outcry linking the deaths to the immunizations, despite the lack of positive proof.
• 1986 – 88 Swine flu: This time it was in America, India and some European countries killing 1 million people.
• 2009’s H1N1 Flu: This time it has spread almost all over the world. It has already made 226618 people sick and killed 2047 people. The rate at which H1N1 is spreading is making people panic.

What is H1N1

H1N1 (also referred to as “swine flu”) is a new influenza virus causing illness in people. This new virus was first detected in people in the United States in April 2009. Now this virus is spreading from person-to-person worldwide and affected almost people of all the countries.

How does H1N1 spread?

H1N1 virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something – such as a surface or object (say telephone, table, clothes etc) – with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth, nose or eyes.

H1N1 Symptoms

The symptoms of novel H1N1 flu virus in people include chills, fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, muscle pains, body aches, headache, fatigue, nausea and diarrhea. This doesn’t mean that whoever gets infected with h1n1 suffer all these symptoms. So if you feel feverish or get any of the above symptoms, get yourself tested for H1N1.

How Long H1N1 persists?

This fever would last for only 5 -12 days.

H1N1 – Better to take Preventive measures than getting Panic!

Preventive Medication
Homeopathic doctors claim that they have preventive vaccine for H1N1. You might have also got emails saying spraying “Eucalyptus Oil” on masks or hanky would prevent infection. Whatever it is, better to follow the preventive measures given below.

H1N1 Preventive measures – Cleanliness can save you from H1N1

Washing your hands often will help protect you from H1n1 virus. Wash with soap and water or clean with alcohol-based hand cleaner.

Need not get Panic, safeguard yourself from getting infected by following guidelines.

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hand cleaners* are also effective.
• Avoid going to highly crowded areas.
• Wear a mask. (Doctors say wearing masks might not help as they do not filter viruses.)
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread this way.
• Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
• If you are sick with flu-like illness, stay home for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone except to get medical care or for other necessities. (Your fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) Keep away from others as much as possible to keep from making others sick.

Other important actions that you can take are:

• Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
• Be prepared in case you get sick and need to stay home for a week or so; a supply of over-the-counter medicines, alcohol-based hand rubs,* tissues and other related items might could be useful and help avoid the need to make trips out in public while you are sick and contagious

Take precaution, in case of any symptoms go to your doctor. No need to get panic. It has cure and you would recover from it soon.

Less than 1% mortality Rate:

If you compare the number of deaths due to h1n1 and the total number of h1n1 infected people this time (2009 worldwide stats), you would definitely get relieved.

Among 226618 infected people, 2047 died. This is not even 1% of the people who suffered swine flu. That means, if a person gets infected, there is 99% chance of him recovering from H1N1.

Another notable fact is that 80% of people who died due to H1N1 this time include pregnant women, children below 10 years, senior citizens and people who were suffering from some other diseases like Cancer, Asthma, Kidney problems, Diabetes and Obesity etc. If you are suffering any medical condition and are getting symptoms of any flu, meet your doctor at the earliest.

We have faced it all:

We have seen Antrax, SARS, Bird Flu, Dengue and many more flu in the past. These are not new things. Let’s take preventive measures and keep ourselves away from H1N1.

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References.
adc.gov, Wikipedia.org