What is H1N1 (Swine Flu) And How Does it Affect Your Immune Health?
H1N1, also known as swine flu, has become a phrase that has struck fear around the world, yet many people still don't understand how it compares to the seasonal influenza virus. The H1N1 virus is a new influenza A virus that is composed of what scientists call a quadruple reassortant, meaning it is made up of several different genetic strains of viruses including two genes from influenza viruses normally circulated in the European and Asian pig populations, one gene from avian influenza and one gene from human influenza.
Contrary to some initial fears, the H1N1 virus is not spread via the food chain, but instead is a respiratory disease spread by contact with infected individuals. It is spread just as the seasonal influenza virus is passed via infected droplets expelled by coughing or sneezing that can be inhaled, or that can contaminate hands or surfaces.
Who Is At Risk?
When the epidemic was first discovered, panic set in, closing schools. People immediately went to the emergency room rather than the family doctor. Since then, the panic has subsided and most experts suggest only going to the doctor if certain symptoms are present including shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, or fever that continues for more than three days. Parents with young children who are ill are encouraged to seek medical care if a child has fast or labored breathing, continuing fever or seizures.
About 70 percent of people who have been hospitalized with H1N1 virus have had one or more medical conditions that placed them in the 'high risk' category for serious seasonal flu-related complications. These conditions include pregnancy, diabetes, heart disease, asthma and kidney disease.
Yearly influenza epidemics can seriously affect all age groups, but the highest risk of complications occur among children younger than age two, adults age 65 or older and people of any age with certain medical conditions. Illness with the new H1N1 virus has ranged from mild to severe. The vast majority of people who have contracted H1N1 have recovered without medical treatment, yet hospitalizations and deaths have occurred.
The First Lines Of Defense
Vaccination is recommended by the CDC as the first line of defense to prevent the disease or severe outcomes from the H1N1 virus. Vaccinations have been proven to prevent 70 to 90 percent of influenza-specific illness. Among the elderly, the vaccine reduces severe illnesses and complications by up to 60 percent and deaths by 80 percent.
Seniors (adults 65 years and older) are prioritized for antiviral treatment to limit risk of complication if they contract the flu. While your age could mean you have a lower risk of getting the flu, certain risk conditions (COPD, diabetes, etc.) mean if you get sick, you may have higher risk of complications from any influenza.
However, some groups of people should avoid getting vaccinated for health reasons. These groups include anyone who is allergic to chicken eggs or any other component of the vaccine, anyone who has had an adverse reaction to flu vaccines in the past, and anyone who has had Guillain-Barre Syndrome.
Aside from vaccinations, the second line of defense in fighting flu is good hygiene. Since it is is spread via hand to mouth and nose contact, hand washing is essential. Hands should be washed frequently and thoroughly for at least 20 seconds. Hand sanitizers are also effective at fighting flu viruses. People who have H1N1 are wise to sneeze into their sleeve rather than hands to prevent transmitting the germs.
Fighting Flu By Boosting Immune Health
It's impossible to not be exposed to seasonal or H1N1 flu at some point, but that doesn't necessarily mean that everyone who is exposed will become ill. Boosting immunity before coming in contact with the virus can help ward it off.
Fighting flu and enhancing immune health is possible by building immunity with vitamin C, zinc and elderberry extract. Vitamin C increases the production of infection-fighting white blood cells and antibodies that coat cell surfaces, preventing the entry of viruses. Zinc increases the production of white blood cells that fight infections and helps them fight more aggressively while also assisting white cells release more antibodies.
Perhaps one of the most promising immunity boosters is elderberry extract. Research conducted at the University of Oslo has demonstrated that products containing elderberry extract also aid in the prevention of the influenza virus by preventing viruses from attaching to host cells, thereby preventing infection.
Good hygiene, vaccination and immune support such as vitamin C, zinc and products containing elderberry extract provide several of the barriers required to fight the H1N1 virus.
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.
Bird Flu: Human Infection
Bird flu is a disease caused by a specific type of avian (bird) influenza virus, the so-called H5N1 virus. This virus was first discovered in birds in China in 1997, and since then has infected 125 people in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Indonesia, killing 64 of them. It is spread by infected migratory birds (including wild ducks and geese) to domestic poultry (primarily chickens, ducks, and turkeys), and then to humans.
Some infected people have developed abnormal clotting profiles resulting in excessive bleeding—which was a frequent clinical symptom in the deadly so-called Spanish influenza of 1918-19, which killed more than 100 million people worldwide. Indeed, bird flu shares a number of disturbing characteristics with the 1918-19 influenza virus. These two viruses have, in fact, recently been shown to be similar genetically. And in a recent laboratory experiment with mice, the 1918-19 virus was found to produce 39,000 times more viruses four days after infection than the regular seasonal human flu strain. The 1918-19 virus killed 100 percent of the mice that were infected with it, compared to none of the mice infected with the regular flu strain. With a current “case fatality rate,” or death rate of approximately 50 percent in humans, bird flu is obviously also a very deadly disease.
There are only a few reports in the medical literature describing the clinical features of bird flu in humans. The clinical spectrum of H5N1 infection ranges from asymptomatic infection—where the person doesn’t even know he or she is infected—to fatal pneumonia and multiple organ failure. Some infected individuals develop liver or kidney dysfunction, and there were two children who died from the virus that came to medical attention because of diarrhea and seizures related to encephalitis (infection of the brain). However, the most common presentation is one of fever, cough, and trouble breathing. Approximately 70 percent of patients also have diarrhea, and a few patients have had only gastrointestinal symptoms (such as stomach ache, vomiting, and diarrhea) and no breathing problems.
Deaths have generally been in normally healthy people. The first report in the medical literature of deaths from bird flu was on 12 patients living in Hong Kong. Their median age was nine years, with a range of one to 60 years. All presented with fever, and eight had symptoms or signs of upper-respiratory infections (five had clinical and X-ray evidence of pneumonia when first diagnosed). Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, including stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea, were present in eight patients. There were a total of five deaths (one died with Reye’s syndrome, which is associated with taking aspirin in children).
In a study of 10 patients in Vietnam with laboratory-confirmed avian influenza (H5N1), the mean age of the patients was 13.7 years. For eight of the patients, there was a clear history of either direct handling of poultry (chickens or ducks) or exposure to sick poultry in the week before the onset of illness. All presented in January 2004 with cough, shortness of breath, and fever, and seven had diarrhea; none had myalgia (muscle aches)—which is often found in the regular seasonal flu. Notably, oseltamivir (Tamiflu) was administered to five patients, four of whom died (treatment was probably started too late for the medication to be effective—it must be given within 48 hours after onset of symptoms to be effective). In total, eight of the patients died, for an 80 percent case fatality rate or death rate.
As is apparent from the descriptions above, the presenting symptoms of individuals with bird flu are very similar to the symptoms of the normal seasonal flu. Infections caused by either the bird-flu virus (H5N1) or the seasonal influenza virus can be completely asymptomatic—that is, cause no symptoms at all. Fever, cough, malaise (feeling ill), and gastrointestinal symptoms are common to both infections. Excessive bleeding occurs only with bird flu, but currently this symptom doesn’t appear to be common. Difficulty breathing is more common with severe cases of bird flu, not seasonal flu. Runny nose and sneezing are found only with colds (or allergies).
The cough in either type of infection is what is referred to in medicine as “nonproductive”—meaning there is no sputum brought up when coughing, or if any sputum is brought up, it is white in color. This type of cough is characteristic of upper respiratory viral infections. As either type of infection progresses or worsens, tissues may be damaged, disrupting the normal structure and function of the infected cells. This in turn may allow bacteria to grow and also cause damage. When this happens following a viral infection, it is referred to as a “secondary” bacterial infection. When this occurs, the color of the sputum characteristically turns yellow or green. If this happens, antibiotics are indicated to treat the bacterial infection. (Antibiotics are not indicated in the treatment of viral infections, because they don’t work.)
It is safe to assume that during a bird-flu pandemic, most individuals who become infected with the bird-flu virus will either be asymptomatic—having no symptoms—or their illness will not be severe enough to require hospitalization. The small percentage who do become seriously ill will have to be hospitalized, and treated with either of the two antiviral agents available, oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza). A smaller subset of that group will develop life-threatening complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which requires treatment with a mechanical ventilator, a respirator.
Some individuals may develop other serious complications such as liver failure, kidney failure, neurological problems—such as seizures, paralysis, psychiatric problems such as delirium or psychosis, or bleeding problems. However, it is reasonable to predict that most people infected with the virus will not die and will not have significant residual symptoms, although a small percentage will.
Bradford Frank, M.D., M.P.H., M.B.A.
The Frank Group
P.O. Box 138
Lakewood, NY 14750
[http://www.AvoidBirdFlu.com]
Why We Should Be Worried About The Bird Flu
Is the Bird Flu Virus for real? Or is it something the media has blown up once again. Does the bird flu virus really possess a threat to us humans?
The bird flu virus is the current virus that has been scaring people away from eating at KFC. People might think that the bird flu virus might cause them to die.
What the media is doing, is only trying to scare a lot of people from the bird flu virus. This is maybe because of the pandemic that we have experienced before from other flu that have killed millions.
The most famous of all the flu is the pandemic that happened during 1918-19. The Spanish flu killed more people than World War 1. 500 million became ill of this virus and around 40 million died.
That's why for every new flu virus that's been arising, people get worried right away. Scientist will try to prevent viruses from getting a lot worse like the 1918-19 pandemic. The media on the other hand serves to inform the people of the potential threat.
Another thing to worry about is that 36,000 people die everyday of ordinary influenza virus in the United States alone. Can you imagine how much worse a pandemic can cause?
Also every 3 to 4 times in a century there will always be a chance that a flu pandemic may hit. What if the bird flu virus is already among them? That's why people form the media and scientist grow deeply worried.
The flu can basically achieve these things because it has the ability to mutate. It can change quickly and outwit the vaccines that have been created for previous flu strains. Then they take the immune system by storm.
The flu can also grab the genetic material of other viruses and also jump from one species to another. There are times where the transfer needs to be done via an intermediary. Such as the West Nile Fever, this needs a mosquito to be transferred.
The viruses that have transferred from animals to people are not something new. This has been happening since the 1980's. The new virus that ahs been scaring people of that comes from animals is the bird flu.
Bird flu's symptoms usually start out quite simple and the infected person might think that it's just an ordinary flu. The infected person will experience muscle aches, sore throats, colds and cough. However, it may lead to the immediate death of the infected person.
Currently, people who have died form bird flu are still not abundant to call it a pandemic or worry about an outbreak. What worries the health officials is the possibility it becomes an outbreak when it mutates and can transfer from one person to the other.
That's why its better the media and the health officials worry about this thing a whole lot before we get another pandemic like that of the Spanish Flu.
Most Common Questions about Bird Flu
The bird Influenza virus is a contagious condition to which all species of birds are exposed. It varies from milder forms to a very severe stage that usually leads to death. Some bird species are more resistant to the virus than others but the real danger of the Bird flu is the possibility of transmission to humans.
The disease is caused by more subtypes of the Influenza virus A; the different subgroups can undergo mutations and create high pathological forms of the condition. The most dangerous bird flu for man is the one caused by the virus H5N1.
The disease is transmitted in birds by infected discharges like feces or respiratory secretions, by contaminated food, water, cages, clothing or vehicles, by infected eggs in the incubatory and from clinically normal birds that will spread the virus inside the flock. The virus usually persists in survived bird tissues for about 10 days and can be transmitted by feces and oral discharge. The most infectious forms last longer time in tissues, water and cold environments.
Domestic birds will get the disease if in contact with wild birds; if they use infected water bowls or share them with infected wild birds. The virus can also be brought home in contaminated vehicles, clothing, feed, cages or shoes. Buying chicken from markets with unsanitary conditions increase the risk of bringing the viruses to your domestic birds or to your family.
The transmission to humans occurs after contact with aerosols or discharges or by direct or indirect contact with sick birds. Human can also catch the virus by inhaling infected air from marketplaces that sell living chicken or ducks or by eye or nose contact of feces from sick birds. The virus is easily inactivated by heat so the contact with encased chicken represents no threat for humans. No cases of transmission from human to human have been registered.
Bird flu is a very concerning subject as it can represent a potential cause of death in humans. The Avian Influenza is capable of genetic mutations with the result of very contagious viruses with no antidote for humans. Bird Flu causes serious epidemics in chicken and can lead to major damages to the poultry industry.
The bird flu virus causes a large spectrum of symptoms and signs in birds, rapidly leads to the apparition of epidemics and death can occur in very short notice. Chicken affected by the virus decrease the egg production, lower their activity, internal membranes hemorrhages and facial inflammation appear as well as a violet coloration of the combs and wattles. The birds gasp for air, show signs of muscle paralysis, suffer from diarrhea and usually dye suddenly.
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