ALERT: Swine flu rises again....

Swine flu (H1N1 and H3N2v influenza virus)

Introduction:

Swine flu is the popular name for influenza (flu) caused by a relatively new strain of influenza virus A. It was responsible for the flu pandemic in 2009-10.

The virus is officially known as influenza virus A/H1N1pdm09.

The swine flu pandemic:

Swine influenza virus was first isolated from pigs in 1930 in the U.S. and has been recognized by pork producers and veterinarians to cause infections in pigs worldwide.

Unfortunately, this cross-species situation with influenza viruses has had the potential to change. Investigators decided the 2009 so-called "swine flu" strain, first seen in Mexico, should be termed novel H1N1 flu since it was mainly found infecting people and exhibits two main surface antigens, H1 (hemagglutinin type 1) and N1 (neuraminidase type1). The eight RNA strands from novel H1N1 flu have one strand derived from human flu strains, two from avian (bird)strains, and five from swine strains.

The virus was first identified in Mexico in April 2009 and was also known as Mexican flu. It became known as swine flu because the virus closely resembled known influenza viruses that cause illness in pigs.

It spread rapidly from country to country because it was a new type of flu virus that few people were immune to.

Swine flu is transmitted from person to person by inhalation or ingestion of droplets containing virus from people sneezing or coughing; it is not transmitted by eating cooked pork products.

The newest swine flu virus that has caused swine flu is influenza A H3N2v (commonly termed H3N2v) that began as an outbreak in 2011. The "v" in the name means the virus is a variant that normally infects only pigs but has begun to infect humans.

Types of Flu Viruses:

The virus now circulates worldwide as one of three seasonal flu viruses. The other viruses are influenza virus B and influenza virus A/H3N2.

The symptoms of flu caused by the H1N1pdm09 virus are similar to those of other types, and include:

a sudden fever – a temperature of 38C (100.4F) or above
tiredness
aching muscles or joint pain
a headache
a runny or blocked nose

Most people recover within a week, even without special treatment.

if you have flu-like symptoms and are at a higher risk of complications of seasonal flu.

This includes:

children under two years old
anyone over the age of 65
pregnant women
children and adults with an underlying health condition (particularly long-term heart or respiratory disease)
children and adults with weakened immune systems.

Treatment:

Some of the same antiviral drugs that are used to treat seasonal flu also work against H1N1 swine flu. Oseltamivir (Tamiflu), peramivir (Rapivab), and zanamivir (Relenza) seem to work best, although some kinds of swine flu don’t respond to oseltamivir.

These drugs can help you get well faster. They can also make you feel better. They work best when you take them within 48 hours of the first flu symptoms, but they can help even if you get them later on.

Antibiotics won't do anything for you. That’s because flu is caused by a virus, not bacteria.

Over-the-counter pain remedies and cold and flu medications can help relieve aches, pains, and fever.

Swine flu poster released by TS Government 2015...

Besides a flu shot, there are other things you can do to stay healthy:

Wash your hands throughout the day with soap and water. Sing the "Happy Birthday" song twice to make sure you've washed long enough. Or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Don't touch your eyes, nose, or mouth.
Avoid people who are sick.