Swine Flu

Making lots of humans coughing and sneezing this winter, viruses thus are doing their dirty work, However few of them have influenza. Health experts must predict whether an influenza season will be mild or severe and when the disease will peak. In fact, there is no typical flu season, as we saw in 2009 when H1N1 swine flu pandemic spread the whole globe.

In 2011 pharmacies began offering flu shots in August, earlier than usual. Influenza has been slow to arrive. North Carolina saw a rise in flu-like illness around New Year's Day, followed by a modest drop. Health experts say, now the numbers are starting to rise again. Actual influenza cases are not counted.

The USA health experts keeps track of "influenza-like illness" by surveying more than 100 "sentinel sites," such as health departments and doctors' offices. For the second year in sequence health officials recommend to make vaccinations against influenza for people six months of age or older.

Modern 2012 vaccine contains the same 3 viruses as last year, including the swine flu (H1N1) strain.  However, health officials say that individuals should get vaccinated again because protection lasts for about a year.

Individuals 65 and older can get a high-dose shot that contains 4 times the amount of antigen as the typical shot. Study shows the vaccine produced higher antibody levels for a better response. However, it is not yet known whether that will lead to fewer individuals getting influenza.

With the proliferation of pharmacy clinics offering flu vaccine, traditional vaccine providers have seen a decline by 25% in demand.

Influenza prevention tips:

1) wash your hands frequently with soap

2) avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes.

3) cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue

4) stay home when you are sick and until you are fever-free for at least 24 hours

5) get enough sleep

6) reduce stress

7) eat healthy diet to maintain a strong immunity

Could the mild winter weather be keeping influenza at length? Did people follow health care providers advice and get vaccinations? Probably, the influenza has not arrived yet in Illinois. Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta (Georgia) says that Illinois is one of ten states in the USA with no influenza activity. CDC’s most recent influenza map shows most other states reporting sporadic flu activity, and only Colorado shows outbreaks.

Specialists say that his has been a very mild flu season so far. Usually, influenza peaks occur between mid-January and early February. It is known that influenza viruses tend to thrive in cold weather.

The warm weather could prevent traditional outbreak of influenza. Some specialists are suggesting influenza vaccination administered this year appears to be a good match for the viruses. The vaccinations are made 6 - 8 months before influenza season.

The CDC recommends a yearly influenza vaccination as the first and most important step to protecting against flu viruses. Anyone six months old and older should be vaccinated. High-risk groups include pregnant women, children under 5 (especially children younger than 2 years old), people 65 and older, and those with chronic medical conditions. Once vaccinated, it takes 2 weeks for the body’s immunity to build a resistance to the influenza viruses. Most pharmacies still have flu vaccines available,

Remember that both the whooping cough (pertussis) and the influenza are very contagious. To avoid both illnesses, people should follow next rules: 1) wash your hands 2) cover your cough 3) stay home when you are sick

A baby from USA (Minnesota) has developed a very rare strain of swine flu called the H1N2 virus which is common in pigs in the Upper Midwest. The boy is the second human who contracted H1N2 ever.

How did the baby-boy caught the H1N2 virus? Not because of anything he did, neither he nor his family had direct contact with pigs. This case is a rare mutation of the influenza virus.  While Minnesota health officials said that there is no reason to worry, they also said the boy is living proof of how difficult it is to manage the flu virus.

Generally influenzas change a little bit, When the virus changes substantially, that is when a pandemic can occur and that is what happened in 2009. Up to 6,000 humans died in the USA in 2009 during a 7-month outbreak of the H1N1 swine flu virus.

This boy's strain of H1N2 is not as serious, because the boy quickly recovered, and the virus does not spread as easily.  There were not observed any additional cases in the USA.

The boy was diagnosed with virus in October and since then he has recovered.  H1N2 is not protected against by influenza shot, which does cover the H1N1 virus.

A new swine influenza strain has infected ten people in the USA since summer 2011 and this made health authorities around the world to be on the alert for more new cases.  New influenza strain includes parts of influenza virus H3N2 circulating in USA pigs, and the H1N1 virus from the 2009 worldwide influenza outbreak.

New influenza strains develop when flu viruses combine in new ways. They can present health risks because humans haven’t yet developed immunity to them.

Since July, 9 children and a 58-year-old man in the USA were diseased with new swine flu strain, which took up a gene from the H1N1 swine flu pandemic of 2009, according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).

The new swine flu strain has aroused a certain interest because none of the Iowa children diseased with it last month, nor their families, had known contact with pigs. That’s the mystery of it. Influenza is unpredictable. That is one of annoying characteristics of the virus. However, the virus has not shown any sustained human-to-human transference.

Dr. Keiji Fukuda, WHO assistant director-general for health security and environment, said that WHO wants to be prepared, but doesn’t want to cause excessive alarm when global spread isn’t a certainty. International health officials need to strike a delicate balance: If they warn of pandemics that don’t pan out, as when the 2009 H1N1 pandemic nearly affected Europe, they risk criticism for inciting panic and look ineffectual.

CDC scientists said they expected this years’ seasonal influenza vaccine to protect adults from the new influenza virus, but that it wouldn’t help children. They recommended that doctors who suspect swine flu infections in their patients treat them with Tamiflu, get nose and throat probes and then send them to state public health laboratories, which should report them to CDC.

You should know that CDC recommends farmers and everyone who has contact with pigs and experiences  flu-like symptoms  to make tests.  The most important things individuals should do are wash their hands with warm soap and water,  Avoid touching your eyes or mouth with your hands, as that can spread germs.

The Centers for Disease Control and prevention (CDC) has confirmed  3 cases of a new influenza virus, which originated in pigs but spread from human-to-human, in 3 Iowa children. Arnold Monto, an influenza expert and professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, said that there is no reason to fear the beginning of a new flu pandemic.

Swine viruses get into humans from time to time, transmit for a generation or two and then stop. The major outstanding question is whether there will be lingering transmission from person to person and that never happens.

The CDC has figured out a total of 18 cases of this new virus, an influenza A strain known as S-OtrH3N2, in 2 years. This suggests that it is not spreading quickly, said William Schaffner, a professor at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Also he added that influenza viruses mutate and reverse genes all the time. Infectious disease experts may only be noticing these new viruses with modern technology.

The swine flu pandemic began in 2009 after influenza viruses mutated to create a new strain that humans had never faced before, and thus they became vulnerable to infection. Although the swine flu pandemic proved to be relatively mild, doctors fear new flu strains because of their lethal history. In 1918, a new influenza strain killed more than 20 million people.

CDC reported that all 3 of the Iowa children had mild form of disease. The virus also seems treatable with ordinary anti-viral drugs. The 10 cases of H3N2 influenza in 2011 also have been spread throughout the USA (in Pennsylvania, Maine, Indiana and Iowa) which doesn't indicate an outbreak.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has gave credit to the UK's readiness for future influenza pandemics.  Englishmen may be relieved to hear that the United Kingdom is among the best prepared countries in the world for a future influenza pandemic.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley started the UK great Pandemic Preparedness Strategy 2011  on  Thursday, November 10th, which describes in details a clear plan to provide an effective response in the event of a pandemic.

Dr. Keiji Fukuda, the World Health Organization's assistant director-general of health security and environment, said that the UK remains among the leaders worldwide in preparing for a pandemic.

The new UK Influenza Pandemic Preparedness Strategy builds positively on the lessons learned from the H1N1 (swine flu) pandemic in setting the UK's strategic approach to pandemic preparedness and response.  Lansley said that good communication, strong preparation and close work with health and social care providers would help to minimize the impact of a future influenza pandemic on services and the public.

The government recently urged people who are under-65 in at-risk groups (those with diabetes or heart problems) to come forward and have the seasonal flu vaccine.

Main phases of a pandemic :

-low impact

-moderate impact

- high impact

Flu season is coming up and is time to for the annual flu vaccine. This year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that anyone over the age of 6 months be vaccinated against the flu virus. The vaccine protects against 3 most common strains of influenza, including swine flu (H1N1).

Influenza (or flu), is a contagious respiratory disease, most commonly passed when an infected individual sneezes or coughs creating aerosols (small droplets) that can spread up to 2 meters away. You can also catch influenza from touching an infected surface and then rubbing your eyes or mouth.

Doctors say that you can spread the influenza up to a day before noticing you are sick, and then 5 - 7 days after symptoms start.

Influenza has following symptoms and signs:

- cough

- sore throat

- runny nose

- head and body aches

- fever or chills - fatigue

The influenza usually lasts from a few days to a couple of weeks, and can differ in degrees of severity. For individuals with chronic diseases such as asthma or heart disease, influenza can cause these conditions to worsen. Moreover, older adults, children and pregnant women are more at risk for complications from the influenza, including pneumonia.

Influenza season generally starts in the late fall, peaks in January and February, and sometimes continues as late as May.

Most people who catch influenza do not require medical treatment. Plenty of rest, lots of liquids, and some over-the-counter influenza drug should help provide relief.  If the condition becomes more severe, or if diseased female is pregnant or patient has a chronic medical condition, then it’s time to see the doctor. In these cases, your doctor may prescribe antiviral drugs.

Signs that the flu is becoming more serious:

-shortness of breath

- vomiting

- dizziness

- chest pressure

Children often show additional emergency signs:

- rash

- fast breathing

- bluish skin color

- difficulty eating

- trouble waking up and interacting

- dehydration: no tears when crying

The swine flu (H1N1) has spread worldwide in 2009 and caused anxiety in people. Although it seemed like an ordinary influenza, there was a distinctive feature — it was immune to the flu vaccine. H1N1 is not a new virus, but its strain is unique which made it hard to prevent.

H1N1 was very contagious, infecting great numbers of individuals through the air and through touching the bacteria. Many individuals were hospitalized for dehydration and those with past diseases were at a greater risk for additional serious side effects, including death. People were warned to stay off public transportation. Sanitizer dispensers were installed practically everywhere and it was recommended to consume vitamin C. However, after anxiety it provided, what became of the swine flu (H1N1)?

Many pharmaceutical companies started creating a new vaccine against H1N1. The FDA soon approved a vaccine and the ever-increasing numbers finally reduced. The epidemic was declared over in August 2010. The news that swine flu (H1N1) was under control reassured the country of its health, as well as its ingenuity.

However, that does not mean that H1N1 is has totally disappeared. Recently, three children in Pennsylvania and one in Indiana contracted a new influenza strain very similar to that of the 2009. The Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy reported in September that these diseased children attended a state fair and probably caught the virus H1N1 from contact with animals. Most H1N1 viruses are passed from human to human, however, it can be transmitted from the source — the pig. It is rare to receive this virus from pigs and other animals, but increased contact with them does increase the chance of susceptibility,.

What are the options for vaccines? Vaccines come in both shot and nasal spray forms. The shot (dead virus) cannot infect the receiver with the virus. Nasal spray is a live, weakened version of the influenza, so contracting the flu is possible, but unlikely. Side effects for both the shot and nasal spray are following: - low-grade fever - aches and soreness - redness - runny nose - headache - sore throat and cough

Since the influenza vaccine does wear off over time, it is recommended that an individual receive the shot or spray every year.

The normal influenza season, running from September to February, is already upon us.  Getting the vaccine will save you a whole lot of make-up work and time in bed.  Doctors recommend individuals to receive both the influenza and H1N1 vaccines, which are available at most clinics and pharmacies.

New research found that individuals with asthma who are admitted to hospital with swine flu (H1N1)  are half as likely to die than those without asthma. The study, which was presented at 26 September 2011 at the European Respiratory Society's Annual Congress in Amsterdam, found that, despite asthma which is common disease seen in patients admitted to hospital with H1N1, individuals with the condition had mild outcomes.

Generally patients with asthma are at risk of developing breathing difficulties when they have an infection, such as H1N1 (swine flu). When the lungs of patients with asthma are infected with a virus, mucus and cells move into the narrow airways which blocks free movement of air.   The researchers studied 1,520 patients who were admitted to 75 hospitals in 55 cities and towns in the UK with the H1N1 virus (swine flu). 480 (31%) of individuals studied were aged under 16 years old. Asthma was the most common disease, affecting 385 (25%) of all patients.

The results showed that individuals with asthma and H1N1 (swine flu) more often had shortness of breath, more need for supplemental oxygen and greater severe respiratory distress than patients with H1N1 who did not have asthma.   The connection between asthma and less severe outcomes was seen even after the researchers took into account age, presence of other diseases, and both antiviral and antibiotic use.

It turned out that patients with asthma came to hospital earlier in the course of their H1N1 disease than other patients with flu. Also, those patients with asthma who had less severe outcomes were on regular inhaled steroids at the time of hospitalization and received further steroids on admission.

The Health Service Executive (HSE) says it is actively investigating how are connected narcolepsy and the Pandemrix vaccine for swine flu (H1N1). The Executive confirmed today that it is aware of 29 new cases of potential narcolepsy in children and adolescents.

The vaccine for the H1N1 strain of influenza (called swine flu) was administered here in the winter of 2009 – 2010. A majority of parents pinpointed the vaccination for causing episodes of narcolepsy in their kids. Narcolepsy is a chronic and debilitating sleep disorder.

The Pandemrix vaccine is no longer on offer here and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended restricting its use, while a possible link to narcolepsy is investigated. An increase of the condition was reported in children and adolescents in Finland and Sweden following the swine flu (H1N1) pandemic. EMA says it is satisfied the vaccination led to an increased incidence of the condition in those under 20.

The Assistant Director of Health Protection at the HSE, Kevin Kelleher said that the swine flu (H1N1) vaccine was offered to individuals based on evidence available at the time.  Also Kelleher said the HSE is making contact with families who have been affected and is seeking advice from Scandinavian countries over what can be done to help.