Swine Flu

Swine flu, a respiratory disease of the pigs is caused by Type A influenza virus. Normally, the virus as such, does not infect humans. But periodic cases have been reported usually in people who have had close contact with pigs, and there have been rare cases where the disease has spread from humans to other humans. 

But, the infection OR the virus strain keeps changing constantly, the resultant virus infecting humans and proving to be fatal. It is one such mutation that is spreading fast globally in recent times.

The recent outbreak in Mexico has been caused by a new strain of the Type A influenza virus subtype H1N1 that contains DNA that is typically found in avian, swine and human viruses. It is genetically different from the fully human H1N1 seasonal influenza virus that has been circulating globally for the past few years. The new virus mixes genetic material from birds, pigs and humans. The resulting new strain or hybrid with an unidentified mutation as yet, has the ability to pass from person to person with ease, as people have no natural defenses against it. It spreads like any other flu, through coughing and sneezing, and may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions and has proved to be fatal. 

In Mexico, where the outbreak was first detected in March 2009, the flu has claimed over 100 lives and the alarming part is that most victims are healthy adults between the ages of 20 and 50. Besides Mexico and the US, the flu has spread to over 70 countries worldwide infecting more than 2,00,000 people. USA, where the most number of cases are detected, reports nearly 50,000 infected cases and around 500 deaths. US diagnosed their first case on April 2009 in two children in San Diego county, California. As of June 2009, the World Health Organisation raised the worldwide pandemic alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. A 'Phase 6' designation indicates that a global pandemic is underway. India which reported 14 cases of infection in June 2009, now has over 1000 cases with 15 casualties, and the number is keeping on increasing at an alarming rate.

Though not as widespread as of now, cases of Swine flu of different strains have been reported in the US,  in 1976 at New Jersey, with more than 200 cases with serious illness and one death, and another death had been reported in 1988 at Wisconsin. Major genetic changes in the Influenza A virus have caused Pandemics or epidemics in the past, such as the Spanish flu in 1918 infecting approx 500 million people and causing 50 million deaths, Asian flu in 1957 killing approx 2million people and Hong Kong flu has claimed approx 1million in 1968.

Symptoms :  

The symptoms are the same as that of common flu. Fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue etc are commonly noticed. Diarrhea and vomiting have also been reported with swine flu. Swine flu infection can vary from mild to severe. At times it can lead to serious complications developing pneumonia, respiratory failure and even death as have been reported  in cases during 1976 and 1988 in the United States. Seek emergency medical care if you experience shortness of breath, sudden dizziness, severe vomiting, fever with rashes, pressure in the chest or abdomen, confusion etc. People at higher risk of serious complications include people age 65 years and older, children younger than 5 years old, pregnant women, and people of any age with underlying medical conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, obesity, heart disease, or people infected with HIV.

Transmission : 

It spreads like any other flu, through coughing and sneezing. Droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person move through the air. Germs could spread when a person touches something / or some surface that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. It can also spread when a person touches respiratory droplets from infected people on any surface and then touches their own eyes, mouth or nose before washing their hands. Infected people are able to infect others 1 day before their own symptoms develop, and up to 7 or more days after they are infected. Young children may be infectious for longer periods. Unlike common belief swine influenza does not spread from eating pork or pork products. Once infected, people should confine themselves to their home and limit contact with others, generally for just over 7 days, to avoid further transmission to others. 

Prevention : 

Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Some viruses and bacteria can live 2 hours or longer on any surface which people use commonly. So washing with soap and warm water frequently and thoroughly for a few seconds, or cleaning with alcohol-based hand cleaner will go a long way in preventing contamination. Keeping away from the immediate area of an outbreak is a must in prevention. Wearing surgical masks while traveling to infected areas, covering your nose and mouth with a tissue especially when you cough or sneeze, avoiding unnecessary touching of nose, mouth and eyes; avoiding close contact with sick people are some of the precautions you could take. Once infected, people should confine themselves to their home and limit contact with others, generally for just over 7 days, to avoid further transmission to others. Try to be in good general health by having nutritious food, enough rest and drinking plenty of water, cause weak people are likely to catch infections quickly.  

Treatment : 

Scientists are working on a 'seed' stock that could be made into a vaccine if necessary. But mass production of a vaccine would take months to develop. So for now there is no vaccine available for protection against swine flu. Meanwhile taking antiviral drugs will help to contain the flu as well as prevent it from leading to serious complications. It is best to take the drugs in the early stages of infection say within 2 days of infection. Drugs such as Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or Zanamivir (Relenza) appears to be effective against this virus. However taking them as a precautionary measure before actually getting the infection is not good, as some forms of flu viruses have a tendency to develop resistance to the drugs. Antiviral medications also have side effects; Tami flu can cause headaches and gastrointestinal symptoms. Relenza which comes as an inhaling powder can be irritating to people with asthma.