Swine Flu About

[SRK]

Swine Flu FAQ

Answers to your questions about swine flu. (from WebMD)

Who is at highest risk from H1N1 swine flu?
Most U.S. cases of H1N1 swine flu have been in older children and young adults. It's not clear why, and it's not clear whether this will change.
But certain groups are at particularly at high risk of severe disease if they get the flu:

• Young children, especially those under 12 months of age
• Elderly people are at high risk of severe flu disease. But relatively few swine flu cases have been seen in people over age 65.
• People with cardiovascular conditions (except high blood pressure)
• People with liver problems
• Kidney problems
• People with blood disorders, including sickle cell disease
• People with neurologic disorders
• People with neuromuscular disorders
• People with metabolic disorders, including diabetes
• People with immune suppression, including HIV infection and medications that suppress the immune system, such as cancer chemotherapy or anti-rejection drugs for transplants
• Residents of a nursing home or other chronic-care facility
People in these groups should seek medical care as soon as they get flu symptoms.
A striking number of adults who developed severe swine flu complications have been morbidly obese. However, obesity itself does not seem to be the issue. The vast majority of extremely obese people suffer respiratory problems and/or diabetes, which seem to be the underlying reason for their severe flu complications.

If I think I have swine flu, what should I do? When should I see my doctor?
If you have flu symptoms, stay home, and when you cough or sneeze, cover your mouth and nose with a tissue. Afterward, throw the tissue in the trash and wash your hands. That will help prevent your flu from spreading
If you have only mild flu symptoms, you do not need medical attention unless your illness gets worse. But if you are in one of the groups at high risk of severe disease, contact your doctor at the first sign of flu-like illness. In such cases, the CDC recommends that people call or email their doctor before rushing to an emergency room.
But there are emergency warning signs.

Children should be given urgent medical attention if they:
• Have fast breathing or trouble breathing
• Have bluish or gray skin color
• Are not drinking enough fluid
• Are not waking up or not interacting
• Have severe or persistent vomiting
• Are so irritable that the child does not want to be held
• Have flu-like symptoms that improve but then return with fever and a worse cough
• Have fever with a rash
• Have a fever and then have a seizure or sudden mental or behavioral change.


Adults should seek urgent medical attention if they have:
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen
• Sudden dizziness
• Confusion
• Severe or persistent vomiting
• Flu-like symptoms that improve, but then come back with worsening fever or cough
Keep in mind that your doctor will not be able to determine whether you have swine flu, but he or she may take a sample from you and send it to a state health department lab for testing to see if it's swine flu. If your doctor suspects swine flu, he or she would be able to write you a prescription for Tamiflu or Relenza.
These antiviral medications aren't a question of life or death for the vast majority of people. Most U.S. swine flu patients have made a full recovery without antiviral drugs


How is swine flu treated?
Pandemic swine flu virus is sensitive to the antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza. The CDC recommends those drugs to prevent or treat swine flu; the drugs are most effective when taken within 48 hours of the start of flu symptoms. But not everyone needs those drugs. Most people who have come down with swine flu have recovered without treatment. The federal government has replenished state stockpiles of Tamiflu and Relenza in preparation for the fall flu season. Health officials have asked people not to hoard Tamiflu or Relenza.
Tamiflu or Relenza may also be used to prevent swine flu. The CDC recommends this "can be considered" for people at high risk of severe flu illness who come into close contact with someone who has the flu.

[Portuguese Man-of-War]

From an email forward:

Swine Flu and Ayurveda... Scientific Prevention of Swine Flue using Household Products

Inhale Clove Oil (Lavang) For 1 Second.
Chew 1 Clove In a Day
Eat Raw Garlic (Lasun), Onion, Ginger (Aale) (1 to 5gm)
Drink Hot Milk With 2gm of Turmeric
Consume Plenty Of Vit C Fruits-Lemon/Avala

[Tiger]

pls chk below link, or fox news home pg of today:

http://www.foxnews.com/slideshow/health/2009/08/11/hn-survival-guide?test=latestnews

[allan101]

Hi Friends,
I am curious to how this plays out as you move closer to the equator. I am 5 degrees north of the equator in Thailand. Obviously, less vitamin D fluctuation. I work in a school. Four students came down with H1N1! last week, but probably contracted it while traveling. The nurse says there 100,000 confirmed cases in Thailand. Haven't checked up on that. Taking her word for it. Is there a world map that shows H1N1 infection as a percent of populations by latitudes?

[Kaka]

Good information, SRK. Keep up.

KAka