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I am getting very worried about this pandemic warning about the swine flu. I live in britain and there hasnt been any confirmed cases yet but how bad is the disease and does it have anything to do with the H5N1 influenza?

21 comments:

Kenny said...

No, it was started by the Conficker worm

mandy000 said...

Swine flu is common in swine and rare in humans. People who work with swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine influenza if the swine carry a strain able to infect humans. However, these strains rarely are able to pass from human to human. Rarely, SIV mutates into a form able to pass easily from human to human. The strain responsible for the 2009 swine flu outbreak is believed to have undergone such a mutation. it is not related to bird flu.

Mark C said...

Yes and no. It is a natural occurrence, just like the bird flu and all the other influenza pandemics the world has ever seen.
How serious is it? Way too early to say. The media loves to blow things out of proportion, but only time will tell how virulent this strain may be.
The swine flu happens to be a new H1N1 strain (like the Spanish flu in the early 1900's). The influenza virus mutates all the time. Here is how a major shift can happen.
"Pigs can be infected with both human and avian influenza viruses in addition to swine influenza viruses. Infected pigs get symptoms similar to humans, such as cough, fever and runny nose. Because pigs are susceptible to avian, human and swine influenza viruses, they potentially may be infected with influenza viruses from different species (e.g., ducks and humans) at the same time. If this happens, it is possible for the genes of these viruses to mix and create a new virus. For example, if a pig were infected with a human influenza virus and an avian influenza virus at the same time, the viruses could mix (reassort) and produce a new virus that had most of the genes from the human virus, but a hemagglutinin and/or neuraminidase from the avian virus. The resulting new virus would likely be able to infect humans and spread from person to person, but it would have surface proteins (hemagglutinin and/or neuraminidase) not previously seen in influenza viruses that infect humans. This type of major change in the influenza A viruses is known as antigenic shift. Antigenic shift results when a new influenza A subtype to which most people have little or no immune protection infects humans. If this new virus causes illness in people and can be transmitted easily from person to person, an influenza pandemic can occur."http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/tra…
Take similar precautions as you would during the regular flu season. Wash your hands often and try to avoid contact with infected individuals.

Anonymous said...

H1N1 means a new strain, no cure for it and no data on it.
Every strain has its case-fatality (CF) rate. The bird flu CF is about 60%. The higher the CF rate, less likely the virus can be spread since the majority of people dies before.
There's no CF rate for the H1N1 (swine flu) yet. The fear is a low rate like the Spanish flu in 1918 (2.5%). It actually kills more people since the virus can be spread from one person to another. About 100 million people were killed in 1918 & 1919.

DEMO W/GUN said...

Short answer: every "thing" has viruses attacking them. Yes every "thing" can get sick, fever, achy, etc. Most of these have been "identified and/or predicted."
Most viruses stay within their original Genus. This one, like the bird flu, is now able to attack humans and "insert Animal here."
When a virus is broken down completely by your white blood cells it mutates by gathering matter in it's proximity. Apparently people were getting WAY to close to animals, birds, pigs. This is why we need proper sanitation especially around such potentially contaminate-able areas.
No biggie really. Yes people will die. Probably not you. Wash your hands! You should always wash your hand. Especially around and after handling animals. They are dirty creatures... not in a bad way... just we need to be cleaner.
Bueno Suerte!

Llama.Fa said...

Stop watching the news. There are less than 100 cases of swine flu here. No one has died, and TWO people had to go to the hospital. There are over 300 MILLION people in this country. It's the flu, okay? There are plenty of much more interesting things going on here and internationally.
Even in Mexico ( A place with below average medical care) less than 100 people have died.
Don't close the borders for the millions of tonnes of cocaine that kill thousands every year! But close them for the sniffles at a catholic school in NYC. Seriously?

Devi Priya said...

Hi,
Person suffering from Swine flu may be febrile and the temperature may be high above 100 to 102 degree F. There may be malaise and bodyache, nausea and vomitting can occur.
For more details and suggestions visit this article,http://www.indiastudychannel.com/resourc…
Thanks
Devi.

Jon J said...

its a mix strain of the h5n1 and regular flu strain you can Read the information and guide on the link below for detailed information on Swine flu and howto protect against swine flu, including information about the N95 mask
Information and protection against Swine Fluhttp://www.review-ninja.com/2009/04/swin…

Bored. said...

The swine flu is not a pandemic yet, but its a major concern. Its so big that people are reconsidering traveling to and from Mexico to prevent the spread of it. It has nothing to do with the bird flu as far as the reports say. Dont be worried, just be sure tha tu are able to recognize the symptoms and are able to treat it, and stay alert for some updates about it.
So far it killed 149 Mexican citizens, and even though it didn't kill any Americans, about 50 have been treated. In the United States its been detected n 5 states -- so far. Ohio, Texas, New York, Kansas and (i think California).
To prevent this, u must wash ur hands frequently for 15 second with hot water and soap. If u get symptoms such as coughing, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, fatique, its best that u seek medical attention, because u and the people around u may be at serious risk. A good treatment medicine for this is Tamiflu. It should only be taken if the symptoms are present.
Almost 50 people in America are being treated for swine flu right now. No deaths occured as of yet. A school in Texas was closed for the day because two students had the flu. The whole school was left to be sanitized. In New York almost 30 students had the flu, which is a big number and a threat to America.
Europeans are having second thought about coming to America, and Mexicans and Americans are having second thoughts about going to Mexico. Airlines to and from Mexico are allowing people to change their flight plans for free because of this. It hasn't been diagnosed in any other countries, thank God.
This may become a pandemic, and it may become one fast. So stay cautious and alert. Check in with ur local news at least once a day and see if theres any updates about the flu and if anyone in ur state has become at risk.
Take care...
I hope u'll be safe. =]

The Illusion of Progress said...

The symptoms of the Swine Flu are as follows:
You won't feel any symptoms, you will die as soon as you're infected. Your blood will fill your lungs and you will drown.
The way to prevent the Swine Flu:
You can't. If you catch it, you will most certainly die.
______________________________________…
The media are trying to keep people from worrying. I am telling you the truth. I witnessed it with my own eyes.

Anonymous said...

There is something very suspicious about this strain. When I read a conspiracy theory here, my first thought is always BS. But then I always start researching. What I found here scares me. There are more articles concerning this if you start researching yourself. From what I read this morning, they don't understand why it is killing people in Mexico, but the US victims seem to be surviving. They also said though, as this virus spreads, it will probably get stronger. God bless us.http://www.torontosun.com/news/canada/20…
Realize this article was written in February.

Taylor said...

Well, in the United States the cases are mild, from what i've heard. and there are about 40 cases of it in the U.S. Yes it does ahve something to do with the bird flu. I've heard that it's the bird flu in pigs, and it's like a mixture of swine and bird flu.

Help_Me said...

i have some site that can help you with the question
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8021547.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8020125.stm
i very hope that help you

Basic said...

This may cause a pandemic like the flu of 1918. The thought that scares me dearly. This reminds of the movies. Whats a good movie about a pandemic?

Adrianna said...

Actually it is bad, there was one death reported in houston a two year old. I am afraid for my kids but we should try to wash our hands as often as possible to prevent getting the virus.

jrmlover said...

Sry but i think this hold "epidemic" is bullshit. They're just blowing it way out of proportion so ppl are so busy thinking there going to die instead of paying attention to the real problems...like the economy.

Kevin A said...

You might want to check out:http://swine-flu-virus-symptoms.blogspot… They have constantly updated info, questions and answers, and health concerns on the Swine Flu virus.

simran8 said...

Its not that bad so dont worry. here in america its ok

bearcat said...

a pandemic...what a great way to distract from the poor economy....hmmmm

Thunder said...

here we go again,man im sick of this nothings gonna happen so relax

ProArtWo said...

You may want to stay away from restaurants since most workers are Mexicans. They are at higher risk of being expose to people they know that travel to/from Mexico!

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