Swine flu has become a household name recently and is more familiar than any cine actor or actress. But the difference is, it is known and spoken with fear and anxiety. Swine flu is scientifically called the H1N1 virus. It is an imported virus and differs from the seasonal influenza in many ways- the most obvious being; there is not yet a medicine for curing swine flu, at least in the medicinal records. Swine flu spreads from one person to another in the same way a seasonal flu spreads. The symptoms are also more or less similar to the former, such as coughing and sneezing. But swine flu is different, in the sense, it may get infected when people happen to come into contact with something that has virus on it and then, touch their nose or mouth. Swine flu can be identified when some one suffers from fever, cough, sore throat, body ache, chills, fatigue and headache. Occasionally, in some people, diarrhea and nausea may occur. In worse situations, heart and lung diseases may also show up. But, as in every other thing, there are some preventive measures for safeguarding against swine flu. When a person infected with swine flu coughs or sneezes, he or she must necessarily cover the nose and mouth with a tissue and dispose the tissue, immediately. It is very important to wash the hands with soap and water or better still, with alcohol based hand cleaners, after cough or sneeze. It is better to avoid touching the eyes or nose or mouth, lest the germs spread. To diagnose swine flu infection, respiratory specimen has to be sent to the lab within four to five days of getting infected. Children may usually shed virus for ten days or longer. Studies reveal that swine flu shows its symptoms and develops the illness even after a week. Therefore, it is advisable to monitor a person who is suspected of infected with swine flu virus. The best thing to do is to consult a doctor immediately and stay away from work or school. Such persons should also have some social responsibility, of not generously donating the virus to others and avoiding going out. Recent news states that there have been quite a significant number of people who have fully recovered from swine flu by strictly following the instructions given by doctors along with antiviral medications. Author: Chandra Sowrirajan, Chennai … [Read more...]
Swine Flu treatment: Alternative remedies
The outbreak of a new form of swine flu has prompted the World Health Organization to declare a public health emergency. The public health officials are scrambling to determine the extent of the outbreak. The number of cases of swine flu will continue to grow as more people even with the mildest of flu symptoms have their respiratory secretions tested. Identification is a critical step in microbe hunting, as is exposing the silent trek that influenza takes as it moves in waves from city to city, country to country, and continent to continent. We need to know more about the distinctive behavior of this particular virus, and its treatment which seems to have newly emerged in human from its animal reservoir. According to experts wearing masks is a good public health measure if people find them socially acceptable. Isolating sick individuals also helps prevent the spread, but our workaholic culture seems to encourage us to drag ourselves into the office even when we're sick. If you get sick, lie down and act sick Other alternative remedies… Besides Tamiflu, these alternative remedies to prevent and treat the H1N1 influenza may be a good option for patients. Homeopathy: Homeopathic medicines were successful in treating the flu pandemic in 1918. Homeopathy maybe a better option also because it has hardly any side-effects, say experts. Gelsemium and Bryonia: Effective during 1918's outbreak. Homeopaths feel these could be useful in the current epidemic too. Influenzinum: In a survey conducted by the French Society of Homeopathy in 1998, in 90 per cent of the 317 influenza patients surveyed, no instances of the flu occurred when influenzinum was used preventively. Oscillococcinum: A homeopathic preparation of the liver and heart of a Barbary duck. In 1990, German experts found flu patients showed a noticeable improvement after about 48 hours of treatment with Oscillococcinum. Ayurveda: Like homeopathy, ayurvedic medicines too show promise in treating swine flu without causing any side-effect. Guduchi: Also known as Tinospora Cordifolia, this is a known flu preventive. It is an anti-viral which kills the H1N1 virus. Guduchi is commonly available and contains a substance called Giloine which is effective for strengthening the respiratory system. Vasa: Also known as Adhatoda vasica, this medicine is also effective. It reduces obstruction or inflammation in airways and increases lung capacity. Besides, basil, turmeric and amla are extensively used to build immunity and are recommended along with the medication. It is also worthwhile to do the following Ayurvedic practices • Eat nourishing, warm foods with "immune-enhancing" spices like turmeric. • Eat only organic foods because impurities in nonorganic foods impair my immune function. • Avoid eating or drinking anything cold during meals in order to improve my digestion, which protects immune strength. • Do daily warm sesame-oil massage because sesame oil has powerful anti-inflammatory effects. Besides medicines, yoga may also prove to be a good option if one is trying to counter the H1N1 influenza. As according to various physicians and associate professors, "There are some herbs that stimulate the immune system, but that's not a good idea on a chronic or preventive basis." Over stimulating the immune system can cause problems like inflammation and arthritis. Yoga: Bhastrika Pranayam: Sit with legs stretched out, back straight. Bend one leg, place ankle on opposite thigh close to groin. Do the same to the other leg. Place your hands on knees. Take a deep breath, hold it and exhale. Repeat this 5-10 times till your breathing becomes even. Kapal Bhati Pranayam: It's similar to the Bhastrika Pranayam, except the way you breathe. Exhale by pushing the stomach inside. Inhale with minimal effort. Repeat the process for about 15 minutes. Note: Before taking any medicine or performing yoga as mentioned above, one should consult his/her personal physician as these medicine/yaga may not be suitable for certain person or in certain situation like pregnant ladies. Author: Mona Gupta, New Delhi … [Read more...]
Swine Flu – Ignorance or Negligence!!
The swine flu death toll touched 118 today with three more persons succumbing to the disease. The two new cases were from Uttarakhand and Gujarat and deaths are coming from states like Andhra Pradesh. Till date, samples from 22,847 people have been tested for influenza A (H1N1) in various government laboratories across the country and 4,198 of them have been found positive, the health ministry said in a statement. Above statistics is enough to confirm that Swine Flu has reached India’s shore – what’s really sad to note is that Indian govt’s lack of initiative towards educating citizens on Swine flu symptoms/precautions etc. Let me start off with a small observation about Swine Flu – and how it is being tackled by the ever “respectable” authorities inside the country. Here are some facts: 1. Search for “Swine Flu Govt of USA” on google search – the first result points to http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ 2. Search for “Health Ministry Ireland Swine Flu” on google search – the first result points to http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/ 3. Search for “Swine Flu Govt of India” – the first page fails to point to any page hosted by the Government of India (rather it takes you to all the news sites). The information presented so far might make the readers believe that there is no such initiative being taken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). Well, that’s not the case. You can find the specific page here – http://www.mohfw.nic.in/SWINEFLU.htm Who’s Responsible? I will stop short of dissecting this page or even comparing it against the 2 other links provided above. The amount of crisp and forthcoming information being provided by the first 2 pages is what I am looking for. Coming back to the context – is there a serious lack of resources available to the Government of India (to provide information about the disease)? Are there not enough people who will create a perfect e-home for the Swine Flu pandemic in our country? Or do we simply don’t care? To come out with a very honest opinion – the government’s single point contact – National Informatics Center – for all such requirements isn’t simply geared up to be the “best”. If you look at the best hospitals in Delhi (i.e. AIIMS, Apollo, Escorts / Fortis, Safdarjung), except for AIIMS, none of the websites has a mention of Swine Flu on the homepages of these institutions. And AIIMS has done the easiest thing that was there to do – link those words to the Swine Flu page at MoHFW. At the cost of sounding the utmost critic of civic agencies, I will have to make a claim. At a time when the H1N1/Swine Flu virus is getting utmost attention all across the world – can we afford to lack behind even at the “Information Propagation” stage. Is it really too much to ask – that I want to read all about Swine Flu / H1N1 sitting in the comfort of my home? I can already hear the standard argument that would be posted as a response to this “want”. The internet penetration in India is minuscule and the government has taken appropriate steps through other information mediums. Being from Delhi, I can only provide facts about Delhi. However, there is little chance that those facts cannot be extrapolated to be found true all across the country. Tune into any of the radio stations like 91.1, 92.7, 93.5 or 98.3 FM – and keep yourself tuned for the next 24 hours. Tell me the number of times you hear a government solicited campaign trying to tell you about Swine Flu. If these radio stations can provide some recording of dates like 1st and 2nd May 2009 – listen to them again for 24 hours. And count the number of times you hear a Congress or BJP poll campaign. Well, it is no surprise what number would win this game. It’s high time that our civic agencies, the concerned ministries went overboard onto the information bandwagon. There is no single information medium that could possibly be overlooked in today’s times. And if the private players in the Health Care sector are not going to participate in such ventures, there is only a particular section of the “aam-junta” that’s going to feel “informed”. Isn’t it morally binding upon the Apollo’s and Fortis to be forthcoming on what the H1N1 virus is all about? What are the symptoms? What are the precautions? How does the virus spread? Ignorance by Government: Recently, the first batches of swine flu vaccine rolled out from Baxter Inc labs but there’s little to cheer for India. While the first supplies from Baxter went to the British … [Read more...]
Swine Flu pandemic information
Swine Flu: It is a type of viral influenza disease and generally affects pigs. But when humans are affected, it spreads from person to person in a contagious manner. Diagnosis: It is very difficult to diagnose because many flu diseases have similar symptoms like fever, cough, sore throat and body pains etc. Frankly, even experienced doctors find it difficult to diagnose Swine Flu. In these times, many doctors tend to treat every respiratory infection as Swine Flu as a precautionary measure. Many countries do not even have labs to diagnose this disease. Current alert level is 6 (maximum). Swine Flu Pandemic: What is pandemic? We call an infectious disease as “Pandemic” when it affects more countries/continents. In extreme cases, whole world will be affected. Epidemics generally confine to one country or continent. In these times, pandemics are causing more financial loss than human deaths. That is bad news for economy especially in the context of current slowdown. According to experts, strain might have moved into humans from pigs in Mexico 1 year back before breaking out recently. According to them, “it is too late to control from spreading”. World Health Organization officially declared "Swine Flu" as pandemic on June 11, 2009 but it has been showing its real impact from July last week onwards. This is the first global Pandemic after 41 years and we don't know how it behave in this "second wave". First wave (April-May) was less severe than WHO estimated. Last global pandemic: Hong Kong flu of 1968. Precaution: Wear N95 mask and protect from Swine Flu. Hope: Swine Flu vaccine may be available by late October in India. Swine flue cases estimates in India: 1. By November 15: 1,50,000 Indians will become Swine Flu victims. 2. By December 31, 2009: 1 crore Indians will be affected by Swine Flu. 3. By August 31, 2010: 30 crore Indians will be affected by Swine Flu. Japan is expecting 7 lakh cases per day in winter. According to estimates, 50% of Americans will suffer from mild to severe Swine Flu in winter. Important note: Death rate is generally 1-3 per 1,000 but it will be 5-6 in countries like India due to poor health standards. People suffering from Diabetes, BP and Asthma are at more risk along with pregnant women. In Bangalore, most of the Swine Flu deaths are in the age group of 25-30. Bangalore is the second most affected city after Pune. … [Read more...]
Swine Flu: Symptoms, precautions and treatment
What is Swine flu? Swine is the biological name that refers to pigs. Swine Influenza (swine flu) is a respiratory disease of pigs caused by type A influenza viruses (H1N1 subtype) that causes regular outbreaks in pigs. Swine influenza is a common viral infection that affects pigs all over the world. People do not normally get swine flu, but human infections can and do happen. Symptoms in pigs: Swine flu causes fever and severe weight loss along with breathing problems in pigs. Though the flu is deemed to be severe, it rarely results in the death of the pigs. In most of the cases when the affected pig is pregnant, it results in the death of the baby pigs. This flu is also known as H1N1 flu. The flu has a very high proficiency of spreading quickly and in large numbers. Swine Flu Symptoms in humans: The symptoms of swine flu in people are similar to the symptoms of regular human flu that include fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people have reported diarrhoea and vomiting associated with swine flu. It can also result in sudden weight loss, dry coughing, pain in the muscles and joints and frequent dizziness as a result of weakness of the body. Like seasonal flu, swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions Swine flu in pigs: Once a pig is affected by the disease, it easily transmits the disease causing virus to the other pigs. The most common is through direct contact with the healthy ones by touching each others' noses. This along with sneezing or coughing directly spreads the virus through the atmosphere. Swine flu in humans: There have been only a few occurrences of the original swine flu since the past century. The virus responsible for this pandemic disease is a result of a mixture of strands of the normal swine virus, human influenza virus and avian influenza virus. Spread of this particular strain of swine influenza A (H1N1) virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Flu viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing of people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose. It is rumored that it spreads through consumption of pork. Scientists and researchers have confirmed that the probability of such occurrences is minimal. Swine Flu Precautions: The WHO had released a worldwide alert on the spread of the disease and also directed the countries to take the necessary measures to prevent it from spreading further. One can prevent getting infected by taking the following measures: - Avoid touching your mouth and nose; - Clean hands thoroughly with soap and water, or cleanse them with an alcohol-based hand rub on a regular basis (especially if touching the mouth and nose, or surfaces that are potentially contaminated); - Avoid close contact with people who might be ill. Try to maintain a distance of about 1 meter if possible - Reduce the time spent in crowded settings if possible; - Improve airflow in your living space by opening windows; - Practice good health habits including adequate sleep, eating nutritious food, and keeping physically active - If you are sick, limit your contact with other people as much as possible. - Do not go to work; stay at home or in your hotel room. - Cover your mouth and nose with a mask when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. - Put your used tissue in the waste basket. Cover your cough or sneeze if you do not have a mask. - A person should seek medical care if they experience shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, or if a fever continues more than three days. Common Queries on Swine Flu: 1) What is WHO stands on using a mask? If you are not sick you do not have to wear a mask. If you are caring for a sick person, you can wear a mask when you are in close contact with the ill person and dispose of it immediately after contact, and cleanse your hands thoroughly afterwards. 2) Should I go to work if I have the flu but am feeling OK? No. Whether you have influenza A (H1N1) or a seasonal influenza, you should stay home and away from work through the duration of your symptoms. This is a precaution that can protect your work colleagues and others. 3) Can I travel? If you are feeling unwell or have symptoms of influenza, you should not travel. If you have any doubts about your health, you should check with your health … [Read more...]
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