A H1N1 Influenza Virus – How Dangerous is It?
If you are following the News daily, more and more people from other parts of the Globe are being infected with A H1N1 virus or Swine Flu Virus. The Swine flu virus spreads out to other countries by way of people travelling from one country to another. How dangerous is it? Can it be controlled? Let us try to find out.
Novel influenza A (H1N1) or better known as Swine Flu Virus, is a new form of virus originated from the pigs which was first detected in April of 2009. This virus is found to be infecting people and is spreading from person to person. It is capable of spreading out in a pandemic scale and everybody is advised to take all necessary health and sanitary precautions. As of May 23, 2009, there are already 86 people reported dead out of 12,022 cases of A H1N1 influenza virus. In the United States alone, there are 9 casualties out of 6,552 cases.
This result is very alarming. How much more do we know about it today? It is thought that this virus spreads in the same way that regular seasonal influenza viruses spread. It means to say it spreads out through the sneezes and coughs of those people who are sick with the virus. We are not certain how severe the outbreak in terms of illness and death until now. Since this is considered as a new virus, scientists and doctors believe most people do not have the immunity yet to it. Sad to say, the vaccine for this illness has yet to be discovered. However, there are existing anti-viral drugs that can be prescribe by the doctors as an alternative and seems to be performing well.
The good news is that in the United States of America, a diagnostic test kit has been developed to detect this novel H1N1 virus and is now being distributed to all the states in U.S. and District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Fortunately, this test kit is also being shipped internationally.
What can we do to avoid getting infected? Well, keep updated. Stay away from crowded places if possible and avoid in close contact with people coughing and sneezing problem.
Stay healthy, take regular exercise and eat healthy foods. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough and sneeze, and then throw the tissue in the trash after using it. Wash your hands often with soap and water. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth since germs spread that way fast. Stay home if you are sick.
In my observation, the new influenza virus is dangerous, easy to get infected and a great potential to result into an outbreak, however, it is controllable and there are a high percentage of recovery rates being reported. Right now there is no cause to panic and be alarmed. We should not be nervous about it and we treat our day like normal. We just need to take more extra careful and be aware of what is happening in our area.
How to Get Rid of the Flu
Influenza viruses attack the respiratory system, from the nose and throat, down through the bronchial tubes, and into the lungs. In the 1918 flu pandemic, victims built up so much fluid in their lungs that they essentially died of drowning. Symptoms of flu are like those of a cold, except much worse, and they come on much faster. High fevers and chills are common, and there may be vomiting and diarrhea. It's highly contagious.
Because most healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning one day before their own symptoms develop (and up to 5 days after becoming sick), you can be in danger of becoming infected from someone else before you or the other person knows they are sick.
The Flu: A Good Excuse to Stay Home and Sleep
Most people are not in deadly danger from a flu virus (though occasionally a particularly potent virus emerges that puts vast segments of the population in danger, as it did in 1918). The usual treatment is plenty of bed rest, lots of fluids, and aspirin or Tylenol to reduce fever.
There are many flu home remedies:
* Vitamin C, zinc, garlic capsules. These supplements may be of limited value once you've got the virus, but they probably can do no harm. Recent studies have said that Vitamin C and zinc supplements show no effect in reducing symptoms.
* Drink tea that's a mixture of 1 tsp. bayberry bark, 1 tsp. grated ginger root,
Flu Shot Facts – Battling Influenza
Before we discuss the facts surrounding flu shots, perhaps we ought to be clear what flu (influenza) actually is? The flu is an infection of the air waves. Typical symptoms range from fever, sore throat, aching muscles and a cough. Any combination of these symptoms can last for a week or more. Whilst the flu is a manageable disease for most people in society, some people are particularly vulnerable. Those particularly at risk are the elderly and people with weak immune systems. Diabetes sufferers, those with kidney problems and heart disease sufferers are also high on the risk list. Many people die from flu each year; mostly from within the high risk groups.
So, what is the flu vaccine? The flu vaccine is usually prepared from chick embryos, which have been inoculated with a flu virus. Formaldehyde is used to deactivate the flu virus, which is then preserved with a mercury derivative called thimerosal.
In the States, the health authorities try and guess which three flu strains are most likely to cause problems in the coming year (it doesn't sound very scientific, does it!). Those flu strains deemed to be likely to cause problems are those that are included in the flu vaccine. If the guess is good, the vaccine is thought to be between 70% and 80% effective in preventing the flu in healthy people outside of the high risk groups; particularly the elderly (over 65). If however health officials do not predict which flu strains will be most prevalent, the effectiveness of the vaccine will be lower.
The annual flu shot is designed to counter one of the flu strains contained in the vaccine and nothing else. Any malady's that are not part of the flu strains will not be effected by the vaccine. So a sore throat, for example, which is not caused by flu, will not be helped by a shot of the flu vaccine.
The question is often asked as to why flu shots are necessary every year. One of the reasons for this is that the prevalent strains of flu change every year, so the vaccine will need to change. To stand a chance of being safe from the most likely suspects of flue virus, you would need to get a shot every year.
Many people are concerned about reactions to flu vaccine. The most common reactions, which begin within 12 hours or so of the vaccination, are symptoms of the flu itself, such as fever, tiredness, headaches etc. However, there are more serious reactions, which are known as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). These usually occur within two to four weeks of the shot. GBS is an nerve disorder, with symptoms such as muscle weakness, unsteadiness, numbness, tingling and pain. In extreme cases, paralysis of a limb or of the face can occur. It can take several months to recover, but it is not uncommon for some disability to remain. Having said that, less than 5 percent of GBS cases end in death.
The flu vaccine has never been recommended for healthy children. Some flu vaccine contain mercury as a preservative (as mentioned earlier). In the summer of 1999, the FDA, CDC and EPA directed the vaccine manufacturers to remove mercury (which is known as a neuro toxin) as a preservative in childhood vaccines, so no flu vaccine containing mercury should ever be used with children.
Cold And Flu
The common cold and flu (influenza) are very common infections of the upper respiratory tract (nose, throat, ears and sinuses).
What causes them?
Colds and flu are caused by viruses. The infections are contagious, passed on by tiny droplets and hand contact.
There are hundreds of different types of virus that can cause a cold, which explains why children get repeated colds.
The flu virus is constantly changing its structure, so new strains appear each year
Flu is caused by the influenza virus. There are three major types: A (often the cause of flu epidemics), B and C. The flu virus is
constantly changing its structure, so new strains appear each year.
We don't have immunity to the new strains, which is why we can catch flu repeatedly.
Symptoms of Common Cold
Following are the major common cold symptoms:
1. Frequent sneezing
2. Blocked or runny nose
3. Reduced sense of taste and smell
4. Sore throat
5. Dry cough
6. Headache and mild fever
Complications:
* Acute ear infection (otitis media). A frequent complication of common colds in children, ear infection occurs when bacteria
or viruses infiltrate the space behind the eardrum. Typical signs and symptoms include earaches and, in some cases, a green or
yellow discharge from the nose or the return of a fever following a common cold. Children who are too young to verbalize their
distress may simply cry or sleep restlessly. Ear pulling is not a reliable sign.
* Wheezing. A cold can trigger wheezing in children with asthma.
* Sinusitis. In adults or children, a common cold that doesn't resolve may lead to sinusitis - inflammation and infection of the sinuses.
* Other secondary infections. These include strep throat (streptococcal pharyngitis), pneumonia, bronchitis in adults and croup in children. These infections need to be treated by a doctor.
Danger signs
* Colds associated with very high temperature, severe pain or shortness of breath. Contact GP.
Causes of Common Cold
Following are the major common cold causes:
1. Viral infection
2. Person to person through sneezing
3. Menstrual cycles
4. Allergic disorders
5. Low immunity power
6. Change in weather
Common Cold Treatment: An Introduction
It seems like every day a new common cold treatment is being marketed to prevent, cure, or shorten the length of the common cold
(see Common Cold Myths). Despite these marketing claims, there is only one cure for the common cold -- time. Therefore, common cold
treatment goals are focused on providing relief from common cold symptoms as the body fights the cold virus.
Common cold treatment options include:
* Resting in bed
* Drinking plenty of fluids
* Gargling with warm salt water (or using throat sprays or lozenges)
* Using a cool-mist humidifier
* Taking common cold medicine.
Common cold Prevention
No effective vaccine has been developed for the common cold, which can be caused by many different viruses. But you can take some
common-sense precautions to slow the spread of cold viruses:
* Wash your hands.
* Scrub your stuff.
* Use tissues.
* Don't share.
* Steer clear of colds.
* Choose your child care center wisely.
* Consider the alternatives.
Therapy
* Analgesics.
* Antipyretics
* Oral or topical sympathomimetics (short term use only) decongestants
* Antihistamines. (Care - can cause drowsiness).
* Vitamin C - is harmless and many claim benefit from it.
To remove these types of diseases Boost Your Immune System
Adult Acne Treatments – Discover Why None of the Gels Or Creams Will Ever Work
If you've been searching for adult acne treatments, you've probably seen the typical reviews all over the place. One product will work great for one person while doing nothing for another person. What's worse is that products that used to work great for someone will often stop working entirely.
If the drug companies had all the answers and if their products really worked, millions of people wouldn't be stuck dealing with acne, would they? Of course not. The problem is their products are often good enough to help some people, but tons of others are left floundering in the dark.
The problem with these adult acne treatments is that they ignore the real problems that are causing your acne in the first place. For instance, acne has absolutely nothing to do with your skin. Read that again. The gels, the creams, none of them deal with the real problems that are inside your body.
Acne is a body problem. The pimples on our skin are just secondary symptoms in much the same way that a fever and achy joints are secondary factors when you have the flu. When you get these symptoms when you have the flu, you don't think there's something wrong with your head and bones, do you? Of course not, you know they're caused by the flu virus in your body.
In the same cause and effect manner, acne is similar. So what is the real problem? Well it does vary to an extent from person to person, but there are several common themes that appear in people with acne. For instance, many people will see their acne fade if they completely do away with dairy. The sheer amount of hormones in dairy plays havoc with our bodies. Dairy is designed to take a baby calf to a full grown cow in a matter of weeks. It takes us 20 years to reach a fraction of a size a cow does. On top of that, cows these days are pumped full of hormones to keep them producing milk all year long as well as antibiotics to keep them healthy. It simply causes everything in us to go haywire.
Other adult acne treatments that yield beneficial results are focusing on diet. Specifically, by switching to a diet that is full of whole, natural foods, you'll see your skin clear often times because you stop the typical insulin/androgen response that happens in our bodies due to our highly processed diets. The processed nature of our food causes massive amounts of insulin to be released to prevent our blood sugar from getting to high which is then followed by a big release of androgens to keep our blood sugar from dropping to low. These wild swings happen for years of our lives and often develop into medical problems. Acne is just one of them.
The reason that none of the typical adult acne treatments will ever work is because they don't take care of any problems that actually cause acne. It's just impossible for a cream to deal with all your hormonal problems in your body.
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