Swine Flu
SWINE FLU
Current statistics show that those who are more at risk from becoming seriously ill with Swine Flu are the following.
- People with diabetes at whatever stage
- Pregnant women
- Young children under 5 years old
- People with chronic kidney disease
- People with chronic heart disease
- Those with Asthma
- People with a liver disease
- Those with a suppressed immune system
Dr Anne Schuchat the C.D.C’s interim deputy director for science and public health said that in the United States those that had been hospitalized because of the swine flu were in the 5 to 24 year old age bracket (62%) and those over 55 accounted for only 1%.
A new tracking study of the epidemic in Mexico found that the H1N1 flu hits those between the ages of 20 and 50 the hardest with a higher death rate than other age groups.
Swine flu
World Health Organisation (WHO) figures as of the 6th July show that there have been 94,512 cases and 429 deaths. It is more than likely that many more people will have been infected but will have not been listed because they did not seek medical attention.
Swine Flu Parties
The thinking is that by catching the virus H1N1 in its mild form may offer some protection should a more virulent strain emerge in the winter. History shows this happening in 1918 when a mild spring outbreak was followed by two deadly waves stretching into the following year.
Mumsnet founder Justine Roberts told the BBC Radio 4 Today program that she had heard rumors of “swine flu parties” taking place.
“There is an awful lot of discussion from people who have come up with a fairly rational conclusion that it might be better to pick up the virus up now given that we all think it just might mutate to a more virulent strain in the coming winter” she said.
Infectious disease specialists understand the rational of catching the mild strain as a protective measure, but Dr Anne Moscona, a flu specialist at Weill Medical College of Cornell University, said that she had been called by a reporter for a woman’s magazine “asking if mothers should hold swine flu parties, like chickenpox parties.”
“I think it’s totally nuts,”Dr Moscona said. “I can’t believe people are really doing it. I understand the thinking, but I fear we do not know enough about how this virus would react in every individual. This is like the Middle Ages, when people deliberately infected themselves with smallpox. Its vigilante vaccination – you know taking immunity into your own hands”.
Maybe, going out to try to catch the virus in it’s early stages will just aid it’s spread?
Prevent Swine Flu
PREVENT SWINE FLU
The A (H1N1) virus Swine flu virus infection has now climbed steadily over the week-end to 21,940 cases according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), who are monitoring the situation, with Mexico, USA, and Canada as the worst affected countries. Saudi Arabia having their first case of Swine flu, bringing the total number of Countries to 69.
The WHO scale of infection through 1-6, has reached 5, one short of a full scale pandemic.
What are the effects of this particular flu and how does it manifest itself, and how do we prevent swine flu?
This strain of flu is the same strain as the Spanish Flu in 1918 which killed between 50-100 million people with mortality rates up to 90%. With the significant increase in worldwide population since this time, and global interaction, this would equate to over 300 million at today’s figures!
Strangely, it infected young children, men and women aged between 25 and 35 in the prime of their life and those with a pre-existing medical condition, the old and infirm.
So, why is it so deadly, and what can we learn from past events. This strain of flu, similar to the Spanish Flu has the ability to turn a person’s immune system inside-out. Breathing becomes impossible as it eats up the victims lungs, causing acute respiratory distress syndrome known as Cytokine Storm.
Normally most of the population has some immunity to flu strains and recognise them as such. But, with a new strain, the body has no idea how to cope with it, and goes into overdrive to try to shut it down as
quickly as possible, hence the storm, an overreaction really.
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
The ‘Storm’ really is reference to the severity of the condition as in chaotic weather events, where the fury of nature is released uncontrollably, so the word ‘storm’ has no medical connotation. The Cytokine does…. and it’s alarming. So what does Cytokine mean, in layman’s terms, and simply, what effect does it have in our bodies?
They are important let’s say elements of the immune system that act as messengers or couriers if you like between cells. The immune system latches on to a virus that it has not seen before or does not recognise is in the case of H1N1 and all hell breaks loose releasing a cascade of biochemical’s, such as interferon, and interleukin, really overacting, causing respiratory distress similar to Asthma but much worse. Consequently, the lungs self ingest, suffocating the victim as a result of the body’s reaction.
I have seen some references to it as the Purple Death which signals the lack of oxygen in the body.
So how we can help ourselves to prevent swine flu?
What we have to remember is that viruses can survive for up to three days, so they can hang about where you least expect them.
As we all know now coughs and sneezes spreads diseases, so my mother used to drill into me, and how true today with a pandemic imminent. There are some basic hygiene rules to follow to prevent swine flu.
• Cover each Cough and Sneeze with a tissue, bin it then wash ones hands as soon as possible. The virus can linger on door handles, elevator buttons, toilet flush handles,
• The virus can linger on door handles, elevator buttons, toilet flush handles, store trolley handles, even on your car steering wheel. Computer keyboards and TV remote control stations.
• In our Gym there are antiseptic wipe dispensers for first aid and personal use, mainly though to wipe down a machine after use. So why not keep a box in your car to wipe down your steering wheel (recommended), and all items of equipment manually controlled. Researchers have found that it is more beneficial to wipe one small area at a time and then throw the wipe away, used on multi surfaces can spread viruses very effectively.
For more information on how to prevent swine flu and optimise your immune system, follow me in my next blog.
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