Swine Flu
So what do i know about Swine flu right..?? but everyone is talking about it.. and everyone is afraid of it – well, almost everyone. And Missy Moo being in school and all, one cannot but be afraid.. that she might catch something from her friends who are less informed about the swine flu.
Can it kill..?? I’ve listened so much to the radio.. and death toll reported in this part of Canada.. I thought we should call our public nurse .. and pick her brains. Just so you all know .. the vaccine is not here yet – there was not much she could tell us yet but she was very helpful. And if you are asthmatic, you automatically qualify for the vaccine.
How bad is swine flu, really? In many ways, it’s really not that different from seasonal flu, experts say. But there are some important distinctions.
It’s natural to feel a little anxious, if not downright panicky, about the possibility of you or a family member catching the swine flu. But before you worry about worst-case scenarios, let’s put some things in perspective. The fact is, seasonal flu — the kind that circulates every fall and winter, year after year — kills 30,000 to 40,000 people. We just don’t read about every single hospitalization or complication in the news. In comparison, current government predictions are calling for anywhere from 30,000 to 90,000 swine flu-related deaths this fall. That may sound like a lot, but keep in mind that it’s out of hundreds of millions of potential infections — meaning that even as a worst-case scenario, only a small percentage of the US population would get seriously sick.
Is the swine flu really like the seasonal flu..??
So far, swine flu doesn’t seem to be more virulent than seasonal flu (symptoms are largely the same), but it is slightly more contagious. According to a new study from Cornell University, every person infected with swine flu puts 1.5 other people at risk in the few days before they themselves experience symptoms. With seasonal flu, that number is about 1.3.
Part of the reason why swine flu is more transmissible is that most people don’t have any immunity to it, unlike other seasonal flu strains, to which we may have been exposed before (this gives our immune system a leg up in fighting off the virus).
Does the swine flu only affect those old and unhealthy individuals..??
Unlike seasonal flu, which has the most serious health effects in people older than 65, with swine flu incidences so far, 75% of serious cases and 60% of deaths have occurred in people younger than 49, according to recent CDC data. But some experts believe that it’s not so much that young people are more vulnerable, it’s that older adults are less at risk. About one-third of adults over age 60 have some kind of pre-existing immunity to the H1N1 strain, according to CDC data. (There were likely strains similar to the current swine flu circulating when they were children).
What this means for you: Unless you have a chronic condition that’s shown to increase complications of swine flu (pregnancy, asthma, diabetes, or heart, kidney, or liver disease), you’ll likely battle the flu and come out just fine, says Allison Aiello, PhD, assistant professor of epidemiology at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. But that doesn’t mean you should blow off preventive measures. No matter what your age, be a vigilant handwasher and instill the habit in your kids. Get vaccinated for swine flu if you’re eligible (as well as for seasonal flu). Avoid people who are sick if you can. And pay attention to symptoms (most commonly fever, sore throat, cough, runny nose, sneezing, muscle aches, fatigue/exhaustion — and in some cases, diarrhea, headache, and a stiff neck). If you feel sick, don’t be a warrior. Stay home, rest, and drink plenty of fluids to help ensure that your body fights off the flu instead of developing complications.
More answers later.
