Swine Flu/Swine Influenza

• Swine Flu/Swine Influenza refers to influenza caused by any strain of the influenza virus endemic in pigs (swine)


• Swine flu is common in swine and rare in humans

• People who work with swine are at risk of getting swine influenza if the swine carries a virus strain capable to infect humans (zoonotic transmission)

• The outbreak of swine flu is due to mutation of Swine Influenza Virus (SIV) into a form which can pass easily from human to human

• Swine Flu is also known as H1N1 flu, hog flu, and pig flu

Cause:

• Agent: For the 2009 swine flu outbreak, the known SIV strains include influenza C and the subtypes of influenza A known as H1N1, H1N2, H3N1, H3N2 and H2N3 – these are a genetic mixture of viruses that have been seen in pigs, birds and people but it is called Swine Flu as the structure of this virus is similar to SIV

• Source of Infection: This virus spreads when an infected person coughs or sneezes around you or by touching something (like desk, doorknob, phone handset, etc.) with the flu virus on it and then touching your mouth, nose or eyes with your now infected hands

• Infected people may be able to infect others beginning one day before symptoms develop and up to seven or more days after becoming sick which means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else before you know you are sick as well as while you are sick

Signs & Symptoms:



• In humans the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza which includes: Fever, Chills, Cough, Sore Throat, Body Aches, Headache and Fatigue

• Some people have reported diarrhoea and vomiting associated with swine flu

• Swine flu may cause a worsening of underlying chronic medical conditions

• Severe illness (pneumonia and respiratory failure) and deaths have been reported with swine flu infection in people

In children emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include

• Fast breathing or trouble breathing

• Bluish skin colour

• Not drinking enough fluids

• Not waking up or not interacting

• Being so irritable that the child does not want to be held

• Flu-like symptoms improve but then return with fever and worse cough

• Fever with a rash

In adults, emergency warning signs that need urgent medical attention include

• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath

• Pain or pressure in the chest or abdomen

• Sudden dizziness

• Confusion

• Severe or persistent vomiting

Investigation:

• The rRT-PCR Swine Flu Panel diagnostic test is used to scan samples from flu patients to determine if they have the new strain but the current tests cannot detect all the virus subtypes that are suspected of creating the new strain of swine flu

• In the rRT-PCR Swine Flu Panel diagnostic test, a nasal or nasopharyngeal swab is used to amplify the genetic profile of the virus. A positive test result presumably concludes that the patient is carrying the swine flu but it cannot determine the stage of infection and a negative test result does not conclude that a person does not carry the swine flu virus

• This test is done in a specialized laboratory and is not done by many clinics or hospital laboratories

Prevention:

Some hygiene steps that can help in preventing the spread of germs are:

• Try to avoid close contact with sick people

• Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth as the virus can spread this way

• Avoid being in crowded settings. If you happen to be in crowded places then the time spent should be as short as possible

• Use of face masks and respirators to some extent help but should be combined with other preventive measures for effective prevention

• Facemasks should be considered for use by individuals who enter crowded settings in order to protect their nose and mouth from other people’s coughs and sneezes. This will also reduce the wearer’s possibility of coughing or sneezing on others

• Respirators should be considered for use by those individuals for whom close contact with an infectious person is unavoidable like people taking care of a sick person

• If you get sick with influenza, stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them

• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you sneeze or cough and throw the tissue in the trash after you use it

• Cover your mouth with hands while you sneeze or cough if you do not have a tissue. Then, clean your hands and do so every time you cough or sneeze.

• Linens, eating utensils, and dishes used by the ill person should be thoroughly washed with soap and water before use by other persons

• If you live in areas where swine influenza cases have been identified and become ill with influenza-like symptoms like fever, body aches, runny nose, sore throat, cough, nausea or vomiting or diarrhoea then you should contact your doctor. Your doctor will determine whether influenza testing or treatment is needed.

Treatment:

• Antivirals: Oseltamivir and Zanamivir - are recommended for the treatment and prevention of the infection with swine flu virus

• If a person gets sick, antiviral drugs, which work best if started within 2 days of getting symptoms, can make the illness milder as well as prevent serious flu complications, and hence, make the patient feel better faster

• These drugs should not be used indiscriminately as viral resistance to them can occur

• Severe infections in some patients may require additional supportive measures such as ventilation support and treatment of other infections/complications like pneumonia that can occur in patients with a severe flu infection

Some Facts:

• Pork and other pig-derived products (like ham, sausages, etc) if properly handled and cooked do not transmit swine flu as the flu virus is killed by cooking temperature of 160 degree F (70 degree C)

• As per research studies, any new virus which is able to spread from an animal to a person and then spread from person to person - is always a source of concern as such virus when in human to human transmission can continue to mutate making it difficult to treat

• Studies also say that a new strain of the flu virus can spread faster because people do not have natural immunity and the development of vaccine to such virus may take months

• If you have any symptoms then it is advisable to refer to your doctor at the earliest as an early treatment is found to be effective in the cases of swine flu

Bhagavad Gita -The Diven Song of God

Why INDIA is in trouble?

Population: 110
crore9 crore retired


37 crore in state Govt;
20 crore in central Govt.(Both categories don't work)
1 crore IT professional(Don’t work for India)



25 crore are still studying

1 crore are under 5 years;

15 crore unemployed

1.2 crore u can find anytime in hospitals

Statistics says u find 79,99,998 people anytime in jail

The Balance left are U and Me.U are busy checking Mails and sending forwards

I’m the ONLY ONE supporting all 1,100,000,000 people at this time.

wow What an Idea Microsoft Bus Service .. Coming Soon

Employees can start work from the bus itself and their office hours counts from the time they start work in the bus. Same way total working hours of the day calculate based on at what time they stopped work in the bus. Traffic jam in City is quite normal and company do not want to waste the time of the employees in roads. The idea was proposed by an employee through their suggestion scheme and readily accepted by the Management

car-Diamond Covered Mercedez

Diamond Covered Mercedez

1000$ for only touching it...

The price :: US $ 4.8 Million!!! :-)

car-Limousine Wow

Health - Different Parts of Our Body Ages at Different Times

• Different parts of our body ages at different times

BRAIN - Starts ageing at 20
As we get older, the number of nerve cells - or neurons - in the brain decrease. We start with around 100 billion, but in our 20s this number starts to decline. By 40, we could be losing up to 10,000 per day, affecting memory, co-ordination and brain function.

GUT - Starts ageing at 55.
A healthy gut has a good balance between harmful and 'friendly' bacteria. But levels of friendly bacteria in the gut drop significantly after 55, particularly in the large intestine, says Tom MacDonald, professor of immunology at Barts And The London medical school. As a result, we suffer from poor digestion and an increased risk of gut disease. Constipation is more likely as we age, as the flow of digestive juices from the stomach, liver, pancreas and small intestine slows down.

BREASTS - Start ageing at 35
BY their mid-30s, women's breasts start losing tissue and fat, reducing size and fullness. Sagging starts properly at 40 and the areola (the area surrounding the nipple) can shrink considerably.

BLADDER - Starts ageing at 65
Loss of bladder control is more likely when you hit 65. Women are more vulnerable to bladder problems as, after the menopause, declining estrogen levels make tissues in the urethra - the tube through which urine passes - thinner and weaker, reducing bladder support. Bladder capacity in an older adult generally is about half that of a younger person - about two cups in a 30-year-old and one cup in a 70-year-old. ....

LUNGS - Start ageing at 20
Lung capacity slowly starts to decrease from the age of 20. By the age of 40, some people are already experiencing breathlessness. This is partly because the muscles and the rib cage which control breathing stiffen up.

VOICE - Starts ageing at 65
Our voices become quieter and hoarser with age. The soft tissues in the voice box (larynx) weaken, affecting the pitch, loudness and quality of the voice. A woman's voice may become huskier and lower in pitch, whereas a man's might become thinner and higher.

EYES - Start ageing at 40
Glasses are the norm for many over-40s as failing eyesight kicks in - usually long-sightedness, affecting our ability to see objects up close.

HEART - Starts ageing at 40
The heart pumps blood less effectively around the body as we get older. This is because blood vessels become less elastic, while arteries can harden or become blocked because of fatty deposits forming on the coronary arteries - caused by eating too much saturated fat. The blood supply to the heart is then reduced, resulting in painful angina. Men over 45 and women over 55 are at greater risk of a heart attack.

LIVER - Starts ageing at 70
This is the only organ in the body which seems to defy the aging process.

KIDNEYS - Starts ageing at 50
With kidneys, the number of filtering units (nephrons) that remove waste from the bloodstream starts to reduce in middle age.

PROSTATE - Starts ageing at 50
The prostate often becomes enlarged with age, leading to problems such as increased need to urinate, says Professor Roger Kirby, director of the Prostate Centre in London . This is known as benign prostatic hyperplasia and affects half of men over 50, but rarely those under 40. It occurs when the prostate absorbs large amounts of the male sex hormone testosterone, which increases the growth of cells in the prostate. A normal prostate is the size of a walnut, but the condition can increase this to the size of a tangerine.

BONES - Start ageing at 35'
Throughout our life, old bone is broken down by cells called osteoclasts and replaced by bone-building cells called osteoblasts - a process called bone turnover,' explains Robert Moots, professor of rheumatology at Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool . Children's bone growth is rapid - the skeleton takes just two years to renewitself completely. In adults, this can take ten years. Until our mid-20s, bone density is still increasing. But at 35 bone loss begins as part of the natural ageing process.

TEETH - Start ageing at 40
As we age, we produce less saliva, which washes away bacteria, so teeth and gums are more vulnerable to decay. Receding gums - when tissue is lost from gums around the teeth - is common in adults over 40.

MUSCLES - Start ageing at 30
Muscle is constantly being built up and broken down, a process which is well balanced in young adults. However, by the time we're 30, breakdown is greater than buildup, explains Professor Robert Moots. Once adults reach 40, they start to lose between 0.5 and 2 per cent of their muscle each year. Regular exercise can help prevent this.

HEARING - Starts ageing mid-50s
More than half of people over 60 lose hearing because of their age, according to the Royal National Institute for the Deaf.

SKIN - Starts ageing mid-20s
The skin starts to age naturally in your mid-20s.

TASTE AND SMELL - Start ageing at 60
We start out in life with about 10,000 taste buds scattered on the tongue. This number can halve later in life. After we turn 60, taste and smell gradually decline, partly as a result of the normal ageing process.

FERTILITY - Starts ageing at 35
Female fertility begins to decline after 35, as the number and quality of eggs in the ovaries start to fall. The lining of the womb may become thinner, making it less likely for a fertilised egg to take, and also creating an environment hostile to sperm.

HAIR - Starts ageing at 30
Male hair loss usually begins in the 30s. Hair is made in tiny pouches just under the skin's surface, known as follices. A hair normally grows from each follicle for about three years, is then shed, and a new hair grows. Most people will have some gray hair by the age of 35. When we are young, our hair is coloured by the pigments produced by cells in the hair follicle known as melanocytes.