Skyline America

Today we are (more and more|more} vulnerable from various strains of the flu virus. initially we had scares over bird flu, but recently swine flu has become a major worry. Swine flu is of more concern than bird flu ever was. It was a worry that bird flu may change into a form that could infect humans, apart from a handful of cases, this did not materialize. Swine flu is a larger worry, the swine flu virus has the ability to spread between humans making swine flu a very serious threat.

Swine flu, or to be more correct influenza A (H1N1), is a disease that infects pigs and is caused by a flu virus. Swine flu outbreaks in pigs is is common but is rarely fatal. Swine flu has not normally infected humans, but it can happen occasionally.

Swine flu is very dangerous as it is a new type of the flu virus. It is dangerous because no one has been in contact with this particular strain of flu before, therefore no one has built up any immunity. It is our inbuilt immunity that prevents diseases from becoming life threatening, with no inbuilt immunity to this virus we are in serious danger from the virus. Everyone is vulnerable, including healthy adults and teenagers as well as children and the elderly.

The real worry is what occurs when winter arrives. This is the period when the flu virus may quickly spread causing widespread illness with possibly over half of the population becoming infected.

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

Precautions to take First, anyone with cold or flu symptoms should to take a few easy, but very important precautions. The virus is spread between humans from the droplets from the nose and mouth when someone sneezes or coughs. This is the way viruses such as swine flu are spread from person to person. Holding your face with your hands when you sneeze or cough isn’t enough. The virus simply sit on your hands, then everything you handle afterwards becomes contaminated. Anyone then touching anything you touched will pick up the germs and will then risk becoming infected. Therefore, always use a handkerchief or a tissue. A tissue is better, this should be disposed of as soon as possible, and always use a fresh tissue if you cough or sneeze again.

At the moment there are no vaccinations to stop anyone catching the swine flu virus. Swine flu is a new strain of virus and is not the same as seasonal flu. The annual vaccination against the normal ordinary flu is not effective against swine flu. Once the type of flu causing swine flu is identified, it will take several months to produce. By this time, it may well have changed into a different strain again.

The only real effective precaution against swine flu is Tamiflu. Tamiflu isn’t guaranteed to prevent flu, but when a person has been exposed to another individual who has the swine flu virus, Tamiflu can help to stop the virus making a person sick. If Tamiflu is taken within two days of contracting the flu virus, Tamiflu can help to stop the virus spreading throughout the body, reducing the symptoms and risk associated. Governments worldwide are stockpiling Tamiflu, the supplies will be used to treat important workers and individuals before treating the general population.

You can buy Tamiflu online, so if the situation occurs you can treat yourself and your family as much as possible. Although it can’t be emphasized enough, Tamiflu has to be taken as soon as possible to be effective, delays in treating the virus will reduce the effectiveness of Tamiflu. If you are at a increased risk because of your situation, such as For example living in a busy city with a large population or for example working in a busy office, then it may be prudent to buy Tamiflu before the flu season begins. If you live in the country and don’t have a close contact with many people then your risk will be lower.

Also, remember that swine flu is a worldwide problem. If a pandemic outbreak becomes global it is possible that supplies of Tamiflu may be diminished and may not be great enough to meet a large worldwide demand.

Until a vaccine is found and manufactured in the quantities needed, Tamiflu is the most effective treatment for swine flu.

Disclaimer: This post is based on information freely available in the popular media and medical articles concerned with swine flu. Nothing herein is intended to be or should be taken to be medical advice. For medical advice you are encouraged to consult your own physician.