Today we are more at at more risk from the various strains of the flu virus than we have been before. We had alarms about bird flu, and more recently swine flu has manifested as a major health problem. Swine flu is a greater concern than bird flu ever was. It was feared that bird flu may mutate into a strain that could infect humans, thankfully, apart from a few cases, this has not materialized so far.

Swine flu is of more concern, swine flu is able to pass from person to person making it a very serious threat.  What is swine flu. Swine flu, or to be more correct influenza A (H1N1), is an illness that infects pigs, swine flu is caused by a flu virus. Swine flu outbreaks in pigs is not uncommon but is only rarely fatal. Swine flu doesn’t usually infect humans, but it can occasionally happen when humans have been close contact with infected pigs.

Swine flu is a unknown strain of virus and is therefore very dangerous. This means that no one has had contact with this strain before, and therefore no one has built up any immunity. It is our inbuilt immunity that prevents diseases from becoming life threatening, without inbuilt immunity we are at the mercy of the virus. Absolutely everyone is susceptible, including healthy adults as well as children and senior citizens.

Swine flu could easily result in a pandemic flu situation. A pandemic flu situation occurs when a flu virus develops that is very different from previous influenza strains that very few, if any, humans have any immunity to. This lets the flu virus to spread rapidly throughout the population.

Pandemic flu is different from ordinary flu as follows.  Seasonal influenza happens annually, mainly in the winter. About 10 to 15 percent of people will be effected and the majority will recover with no treatment in 1 to 2 weeks.

A pandemic outbreak of flu affects more people with up to half the population affected. Pandemic flu also affects people of all ages.

Swine flu symptoms are very similar to the symptoms of ordinary influenza. These can include sudden onset of fever, cough or a shortness of breath. Symptoms that may also present themselves may include headache, sore throat, muscle aches, sneezing, chills, runny nose, appetite loss and tiredness.

Precautions that can be taken. Anyone showing cold or flu symptoms needs to take a few simple precautions. The flu virus is spread between humans from the small droplets from the nose and mouth when someone sneezes or coughs. This is how viruses are spread through the population. Using your hands to cover your face when you cough or sneeze is not effective enough. The germs remain on your hands, then everything you touch afterwards becomes contaminated with germs. Anyone who the touches the same surface will pick up the germs and become infected. Always use a handkerchief or tissue. A tissue is better, the tissue should be disposed safely as soon as possible, try to always use a fresh tissue when you sneeze or cough again.

A vaccination against swine flu is not available. The vaccination against seasonal flu is not effective against swine flu. By the time a vaccination is discovered, it will take many months to make, by which time the virus might have mutated again making a new vaccination ineffective.

The only effective precaution you can take against swine flu is Tamiflu. Tamiflu isn’t guaranteed for the prevention of swine flu, but if you have been exposed to someone who has the flu virus, Tamiflu can help to stop the virus making you ill. If Tamiflu is taken in the first 48 hours of getting the flu virus, Tamiflu may help to stop the flu virus spreading through the body, thereby alleviating the symptoms and the risk associated with the swine flu virus. Governments are stockpiling Tamiflu, but these supplies will be used in treating important workers and individuals before the general population.

You can however buy Tamiflu online, if the situation arises you can protect yourself and loved ones as much as is possible. It cannot be emphasized enough, Tamiflu does need to be administered as soon as is possible to be effective, any delays in treating the virus will diminish how effective Tamiflu is.

Also, remember that swine flu is a worldwide problem. If an outbreak becomes global it is possible that the supplies of Tamiflu may be low and may not meet a large worldwide demand.  Until such time that a vaccine is found and manufactured in the quantities required, Tamiflu is the only really effective treatment for swine flu, it would sensible to buy Tamiflu in advance if you think you or your loved ones are at risk.

Disclaimer: This article is based on information that is freely available in {the popular#the} media and medical journals concerned with swine flu. Nothing in this post is intended to be or should be construed to be medical advice. For medical advice you are advised to consult with your doctor.

 






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