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

We are today (more and more|more} at risk from various mutations of the flu virus. First we had alarms over the bird flu virus, and more recently swine flu has become a major worry. Swine flu is of more concern than bird flu was. It was a worry that bird flu may change into a form that would infect humans, apart from a handful of cases, this situation did not materialize. Swine flu is a larger concern, swine flu has the ability to pass from human to human making swine flu a dangerous threat.

Swine flu (influenza A (H1N1) is a disease that effects pigs, it is caused by a flu virus. Swine flu outbreaks in pigs is not uncommon but is only rarely fatal. In the past, swine flu doesn’t normally infect humans, but it can occasionally happen.

Swine flu is particularly dangerous as it is a new strain of virus. The problem is no one has been exposed to this particular strain of flu before, therefore no one has developed any immunity to this flu strain. 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 and teenagers as well as children and the elderly.

The real worry is what occurs when winter arrives. It is then when the flu virus may quickly spread causing widespread illness with the possibility of over half of the population being affected.

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

Precautions to take Anyone with the symptoms of a cold or flu should to take a few simple, but most important precautions. The flu virus is passed between humans by the droplets from the nose and mouth when someone sneezes or coughs. This is the way viruses such as swine flu are spread from person to person. Covering your nose and mouth with your hands when you sneeze or cough isn’t enough. The virus then live on your hands, then everything you touch afterwards becomes contaminated. Anyone touching anything you touched will pick up the virus and then risks becoming infected. Therefore, always use a handkerchief or tissue. A tissue is far better, this should then be disposed of as soon as possible, try to use a fresh tissue if you sneeze or cough again.

Currently there are no vaccinations that prevent anyone catching swine flu. The swine flu virus is a new type of virus and is not the same as seasonal flu. The vaccination against the normal seasonal flu isn’t effective against swine flu. Even when the strain of flu causing swine flu is identified, it will take several months to produce. By this time, it may well have changed into a different strain.

The only effective precaution against the swine flu virus is Tamiflu. Tamiflu isn’t guaranteed to stop flu, but when a person has been exposed to another individual who has the swine flu virus, it can help to stop the virus making a person ill. If Tamiflu is taken within 2 days of contracting the flu virus, it can help to stop the virus spreading throughout the body, thereby reducing the symptoms and associated risk. Governments are stockpiling Tamiflu, but the supplies will naturally be used to treat key workers and individuals before treating the general population.

You can however buy Tamiflu online, if the situation arises you can treat yourself and your family as much as possible. It can’t be emphasized strongly enough, Tamiflu needs to be taken as soon as possible if it is to be effective, delays in treating the flu virus will reduce the effectiveness of Tamiflu. If you are at a higher risk because of your situation, such as For example living in a busy city with a large population or working in a busy office, then it may be prudent to buy Tamiflu before the flu season starts. If you happen 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 global demand.

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

Disclaimer: This posting is based on information freely available in the popular media and medical articles related to swine flu. Nothing in this article is intended to be or should be taken to be any sort of medical advice. For medical advice you are encouraged to consult your physician.

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