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Swine Flu…Is it Coming or Is It Going?

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Not that long ago, all we heard on the radio and TV was “swine flu…epidemic…swine flu…pandemic…swine flu.” The media was awash with near-constant reporting of the swine flu situation across the U.S. and Mexico. It’s as though the media was infected with the need to scare the living daylights out of people! And it worked. Then more recently, it’s like the whole swine flu situation simply faded away–just about as fast as it came upon us!

While these reporting methods may feel like sensationalism, the bottom line is the Swine flu—or any type of influenza—should be taken seriously. As of this writing, over 200 cases of swine flu were confirmed, and some people actually died from it, or from related complications. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) monitor these types of medical emergencies, and local hospitals and national experts in infection control and epidemiology have exercised preparedness plans accordingly. In short, the situation was ready to be handled on nationally and locally.

But the news media does not tell us that regular seasonal flu kills 36,000 people on average every year. Swine flu comes nowhere near this figure. Almost all U.S. cases so far were reported as having been mild. Analysts believe that there could be a “second wave” of this flu in the upcoming fall or winter, and that it could be more virulent. It’s been reported that vaccines take about three to six months to produce, so they will be ready for distribution by winter’s flu season. Thanks to the avian flu scare of 2006, local, state, and federal agencies are well equipped to deal with a serious outbreak.

A perspective on this issue should be considered, however. Flu viruses are constantly changing and mutating into new strains, and while the swine flu was a new virus type, it was not necessarily more deadly than any other types. This type of flu spreads the same ways as other flu types are known to spread, and infection can be totally prevented just as with the “seasonal” flu. Of course, this is not to discount the fact that many people can and did get sick from this flu, and there were some deaths, but it must be taken into consideration that in the United States alone, almost 36,000 people die from the seasonal flu EVERY YEAR, and almost no news or media coverage happens about that.

Below are listed some facts and very important prevention measures that can help stop the spread of this virus (and other viruses) in its tracks.

Key facts

The swine flu is a respiratory infection that occurs in pigs. While normally the cross infection to humans does not occur, this strain has mutated so that it was spread to humans and also can be spread human-to-human like other strains of flu. It is not more deadly and this strain can be treated with antiviral drugs (zanamavir and oseltamivir) to minimize the effect of the disease symptoms. Symptoms of the swine flu are the same as other types of flu: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills, etc. A person who has the virus is contagious from 1 day before they feel symptoms until 7 days after symptoms begin.

The swine flu virus is spread the same way as other flu types. Respiratory droplets from sneezing or coughing have the virus on them and can land on surfaces and live for up to 2 hours. More commonly we cover our mouth with a hand when we sneeze or cough and then transfer the virus from the hand to surfaces that other people come in contact with like door handles, counters or when shaking hands or touching people. You CANNOT contract the swine flu or any other disease from eating properly cooked pork. (Pork should be cooked to 160 degrees to kill any viruses or bacteria.)

As with the seasonal flu, young children, the elderly, people with suppressed immune systems, and those with underlying medical conditions are more susceptible to the virus and should take more precautions.

How to prevent the spread of swine flu

1. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you sneeze or cough and immediately throw away the tissue.
2. Wash your hands, wash your hands, and wash your hands! Wash them frequently, and especially after sneezing, coughing, or touching surfaces in public places. The alcohol hand cleansers are effective as well.
3. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
4. Avoid close contact with anyone who is sick.
5. If you feel sick with the flu STAY HOME and avoid contact with other people. It is especially important to keep sick children home from school.

What to do if you get the flu

1. Stay home
2. Keep hydrated and monitor your symptoms
3. See your doctor if your symptoms are severe or become worse in a short time period.
4. Go to the Emergency Room if you have:
   1. Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
   2. Pain or pressure in your chest or abdomen
   3. Sudden onset of dizziness or confusion
5. Severe or persistent vomiting or diarrhea
   1. In children, go to the Emergency Room if they have:
   2. Fast or troubled breathing
   3. Bluish skin color
   4. They won’t drink enough fluids
   5. Not waking up or if they are interacting with others abnormally
   6. Being so irritable the child doesn’t want to be held
   7. If the flu-like symptoms improve then return with a fever and worsened cough
   8. Fever with a rash

While it is true that this is a new virus and there is much we don’t know about it, we DO know that it can be prevented using these very common measures and awareness.

So keep in mind that the media are eager to jump the gun in terms of reporting news. The first reports about swine flu in Mexico made the disease sound highly lethal. But now, public health officials are saying the swine flu (or H1N1 strain) may be no more deadly than plain old seasonal flu. Disease experts say that when there is an outbreak of any kind, testing tends to focus on the sickest people, and misses those with milder symptoms of the illness. Remember SARS, back in 2003? When this virus hit Toronto, it nearly shut down the entire city. The initial reports indicated that SARS was killing nearly 50 percent of the people it infected. But as the outbreak progressed, it became clear that the actual death rate was closer to 5 percent. Experts later stated that the early figures were misleading because they didn’t include people who only had mild illnesses. A similar pattern was seen with the West Nile virus several years e arlier in New York.

Experts are learning that it’s very difficult to figure out how many people have been infected with any particular virus, including swine flu. Hospitalized patients truly represent only a fraction of those affected.

Follow the above precautions, and work toward overall good health! Get plenty of rest. Drink lots of water. Eat healthy, fresh foods. Avoid processed and artificial foods. Get lots of exercise, especially outdoors. Take a quality multi-vitamin, multi-mineral supplement every day. Be proactive with your health, and have a good relationship with a health care practitioner you trust.

Let’s focus on staying healthy and enjoying life…and not letting the news media keep us coming and going!